L
by Syrisna
Summary: A mysterious woman appears during the Paramount War and saves Ace and Luffy from Akainu. Who is she? The Whitebeard Pirates seem to recognize her, and so does many prominent figures in the marines. Akainu is enraged by her intervention. She laughs. Ace and Luffy are shocked. (Rewritten - look at last chp for more info) DISCONTINUED
1. Prologue : War

Um..hi? Am I supposed to say hi?

Well...this is my first fanfiction, so do forgive me if it isn't to your liking, or you find anything wrong. So...enjoy, i guess? And FYI, the story starts just after Water 7.

Disclaimer : I do not own One Piece nor do I have the desire to. One Piece is only awesome because it is Oda sensei's creation.

Ten years ago, in the Goa Kingdom in East Blue, three kids wrecked havoc all across the island. Ten years later, they continued to do so, albeit on a scale much larger than a single island, and threw the world into utter chaos.

* * *

Somewhere in the skies of the Grandline, a cloaked figure sat atop a large white eagle, a rolled up newspaper in her hands.

She loved chaos. It made her work so much more enjoyable.

Flipping the newspaper she had earlier obtained from a News Coo, she quickly found the bounty posters that were updated every week of two. Picking up the topmost one, a bounty of 300 million proudly displayed itself underneath a picture of a teenager smiling goofily with a straw hat sitting on his head. She clicked her tongue, curious as to how this particular rookie had managed to triple his bounty in such a short time….well whatever, she'd find out when she reads the paper. She quickly sifted through the posters, noting the number of newly released posters were a tad more than the usual two or three. Guess the worst generation has been keeping the marines on their toes, which in her case, was a good thing, since them keeping the marines busy meant she wouldn't have as many coming after her. Not that she minded much, though. Self-proclaimed entertainments were always welcomed. Setting the bounties aside, she returned her focus to the newspaper, the headlines catching her attention immediately.

WHITEBEARD PIRATES SECOND DIVISION COMMANDER FIREFIST ACE CAPTURED

She froze.

Wait...what?

She blinked and looked again. The headlines stared back at her, proving in large, bold lettering that she wasn't hallucinating.

She scanned the paragraphs of words below, her figure tensing as she continued to read. When she finally read the last word, the paper was already scrunched up from her clenched fingers.

Blackbeard...Marshall D. Teach.

She knew there was something wrong with the bastard when she'd met him years ago, but she never thought he was such a rat.

To betray the strongest man alive...the rat had guts, that's much was given.

 _But the rat is tempting fate…The waves will churn, and he will be in the heart of it._

No longer interested in the rest of the news, she stuffed it into a satchel strapped onto the side of her eagle, Oru. Giving the bird a few pats on the head, she pulled out a small glass sphere with a small piece of paper inside. "Head North, girl. It's time we returned to the Grand Line."

-=v=-

Marineford was a complete warzone, pirates and marines were fighting, and captain's and admiral's were staring down each other.

From the Moby Dick's bow, Whitebeard had a clear view of Ace kneeling on the scaffold, his face lined with concern for his brothers and sisters who were fighting to take him back.

At least he didn't look too wounded, the captain noted. All things considered, it could have been worse.

Marco was next to him, opting to stay by his captain instead of going into battle since he wasn't really needed. Not now, at least.

"We're coming to a stand still, yoi." Keen eyes swept across the bay area, observing the many fights playing out.

"Unless a miracle happens, once the admirals take action we'll be on the losing side."

Whitebeard merely grunted in reply. He knew. But though life continued to tell him that trying to save Ace was a lost cause, he prefered to hope. His son was a D., and D.'s were known to be miracle workers.

Something told him said miracle would be happening soon.

Not that he was going to divulge this particular information, mind you.

And then, Luffy happened.

-=v=-

Luffy was pretty convinced that Lady Luck hated him.

First off, Ace got captured. Then his crew was separated by that bear-guy-with-beams. And he got sent to that place with lots of women and Hancock helped him sneak into Impel Down. He had gotten poisoned to near death(or so he was told), and when he finally reached Lvl 6 he had just missed Ace. Fine, whatever. He'd just chase after. No biggie. They'd reached Marineford a short while after the war started, and then some genius decided to make a freaking ice wall which placed them a couple hundred feet above the ground.

And now they were free falling, courtesy of gravity, towards a large pool of seawater in a supposedly iced over bay. He went down screaming his head off and drew the attention of every person in the vicinity.

So NOT fun.

And the next thing he knew, he was lying on the ice gulping for air.

He'd barely had time to recover, and then that stupid sand croc had gone and attacked that giant ossan with the really cool moustache. He was still dripping wet anyway, so Luffy kicked him out of the way. The giant ossan was Ace's captain after all. Ace liked him and he did not hesitate to shout that fact out. And then he told him about the marines change of plans before taking off onto the battlefield, his sights focused on Ace and only Ace. Everything happened so fast it was a blur in his mind. Not that there was anything important. The only thing that mattered was getting to his nii-chan, no matter what stood in his their Grandpa.  
Luffy glared at his grandfather who stood on the path Inazuma had created, preventing him from reaching Ace. He wanted to punch his way through, but at the same time, he didn't want to hurt his Grandpa. His confliction showed, but Garp stood his ground, though it pained him greatly to do so.

"Luffy, I consider you...my enemy!" Their fists met, and Garp dropped to the ground below.  
 _I can only do this much... please, Luffy, save your brother._  
 _ **Save Ace.**_  
-=v=-  
He was free.  
Running with all his might, Ace couldn't help the one thought that kept flashing through his mind.  
He was _ **free.**_  
And it was all because of Luffy. Looking at him out of the corner of his eye, Ace only felt his heart swell with pride. It had only been a few months since they ran into each other in Alabasta, yet his little brother had grown so much. Ace couldn't keep the grin off his face as he fell back into old fighting styles that only worked with Luffy, both brothers matching each other step for step as they fought their way through enemy ranks.  
He could almost smell his freedom.  
Just a little more, and he'd be home free.  
But then things just took a dive south-way.  
One of the admirals, Akainu gave pursuit, intent on ridding the world of two devil childs.  
He knew he wouldn't be able to catch up, so he took to insulting the Whitebeard Pirates, and more specifically, Whitebeard.  
And that was something Ace wasn't gonna take lying down.  
He stopped running and turned.  
"Don't make fun of the man who saved my life! The name of this era is 'Whitebeard'!"  
Magma and fire clashed.  
In the back of his mind, he registered Jinbei yelling at Luffy as he stumbled.  
Pushing himself onto his knees, Ace glared at Akainu, who seemed to be looking at something else.  
He was still facing him, so what could he be... Ace's eyes widened in horror.  
 _ **Luffy!**_  
Akainu charged, his magma covered fist pulled back, ready to put a hole through Dragon's son.  
His fist came down swift and hard onto the unknowing teenager.  
But instead of hitting flesh, he was met with cool metal.  
"Not today, Admiral."

* * *

Ace isn't dead. I repeat, Ace isn't dead. I love him too much to kill him. Someone saved him.

Akainu is not a happy Admiral.

Well what do I care about him?

Read and review, please?

I'd really appreciate it.

Ps. I know there's a little flaw in there. Don't mind it. This is the third (or fourth) time I'm uploading this but it's still there. I swear the original document doesn't have it.


	2. Chapter 1 : Intervention

So…here's the second chapter. I tried. Hope it's better than the last chapter.  
To sexyshewolf: Thank you for pointing that out. I'd figured it wouldn't come out that well.  
To KoreanMusicFan: Uh..thanks, i guess?=^.^=  
To Guest: Fun = ? O.O  
To One Piece Fan Forever: I'm glad you like it.  
To sousie: I'll try, but uh, you know, no promises.  
To anaisonfire: Of course there is more. I (probably) won't abandon this story.  
To Angel0940: Thank you to you too.  
To gabrielsangel23: Thank you for loving me.*Quotes Ace. And my story.  
As for the rough around the edges comments that two of you people have so kindly written in your reviews, I will only say this: Please elaborate. Because your comments are kind of vague and I have no idea how to 'smooth out the edges'. To be honest, I'm not even sure how to write…whatever it is I'm writing now.

Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece and never will.

* * *

"Who are you!" Akainu growled, his attention turning towards the cloaked figure that had suddenly appeared between him and Dragon's son, his magma covered fist pushing against the thin blade that had been driven into the ground in attempt to break through.  
"I'm sorry. Am I interrupting?"  
A woman's voice replied coldly, her words masked in politeness, though her tone of voice was anything but. It sounded muffled, as if the person was speaking through a mask.

Standing up from her previously crouched position, she held firm on the hilt of her sword that had blocked the Admiral's attack, channelling her will through the blade to further strengthen her defense.  
"You know Haki." He stated at the blatant display of Busoshoku Haki.

 _This woman is a wild card._  
If looks could kill, the mysterious woman would have died a thousand times over if Akainu's scrutinizing glare was anything to go by.  
"Which rock did scum like you crawl out from?" He demanded. This woman had dared to interfere with his hunt of the two devil children, and he wasn't going to let her off the hook without knowing who she was.

Something about the woman was familiar, the feeling tingled on the edge of his senses yet he couldn't place a name to it.  
"I have no obligations to answer you." She stated."Nor have I any intention to." And she jumped back, withdrawing her sword from the ice easily and breaking their prolonged standoff.  
"Firefist, Strawhat."  
She raised her sword, body poised to attack and eyes trained on her opponent.  
"Get out of here. **Now**."  
-=v=-  
Luffy thought he was dead when he'd looked up to see that Admiral (whatever his name is) come flying at him, fist pulled back and covered with magma.  
 _ **Holy crap…**_  
He wouldn't be able to dodge. Akainu was coming in too fast and his body was already way past its limits, even with Iva-chan's earlier hormone injection he could barely move. In his peripheral vision, he could see Ace, his face struck with horror as he ran towards him.

Red soon filled his vision as the Admiral closed in on him. He could feel the heat pouring off in waves and the various blisters that were beginning to form due to exposure to the intense heat. He could feel the ghost of a fist against his chest.  
And then, everything was cut off.  
Black replaced red.  
The heat disappeared behind a curtain of fabric and the magma fist was nowhere in sight.  
"I'm sorry. Am i interrupting?"  
In its place, a figure cloaked in black stood proudly, its tone cold and unforgiving.  
Who?  
"Luffy!"Ace yelled, skidding to a stop next to his younger brother.  
"Are you okay?"  
"A-Ace?"  
"You idiot! Why didn't you run?! You could've died!"  
"But Ace…"  
"Don't you 'but Ace' me!"  
A little ways behind them, Jinbei sighed, looking at the two brothers bicker. Leave it to those two to bicker like kids when they're surrounded by marines in the middle of a battlefield. Not to mention a certain Admiral who would very much like to kill them was standing only a couple feet behind them, with the cloaked woman the only obstacle between him and the brothers. He started towards them, intent on dragging their idiotic asses back to the Moby Dick while he had the chance.  
"Firefist. Strawhat."  
The cloaked woman suddenly spoke.  
"Get out of here. Now."  
"Who are you?" Ace questioned suspiciously. This woman may have saved his life, but that didn't mean he was just going to trust her. He wasn't going to trust just anyone, not since a certain rat had very well proved that even trust can be faked. And especially not when things concerned his baby brother.  
She chuckled.  
"You shouldn't ask that now." Without waiting for an answer, she lunged at Akainu with the grace of a panther, bringing her sword down in a deadly arc.  
"Go. I will see you soon."

Flipping backwards, she aimed a haki-infused kick towards his head but was blocked.  
"Soon? You won't be leaving here alive, woman." Akainu snarled, enraged that his targets were getting away. And all because of one single woman.  
She scoffed at his barely hidden threat.  
"We'll see."  
Fists clashed, and the resulting shockwave from their point of impact blinded everyone close by momentarily.  
And then they saw it.  
On the right side of the woman's cloak, right near the shoulder, was a insignia woven in gold thread which had previously been hidden under the hood but was exposed when the cloak was blown open. And it was one that many on the battlefield knew, including the Whitebeard Pirates, the Shichibukai, and many high-ranking marines.  
 **A letter 'L' with a crescent moon.**  
The insignia of the most dangerous assassin.  
A ruthless woman who retained perpetual influence in the underworld.  
 **'Queen' L.**  
A woman with strength on par with the marines strongest Admiral.  
The cloak's hood fell back, revealing a flowing river of dark hair held together loosely by a silver hair clip.  
A white fox mask trimmed with gold and red hid her face from the world, leaving most everything to the imagination.  
Akainu, being her opponent, was the first to recover from the discovery of the woman's identity.  
"Hmph. So it's you." He said disdainfully, throwing another magma coated fist as he did. "What business does an assassin have, meddling with the World Government?"  
L didn't answer. Instead, she jumped upwards, using her point of contact with Akainu as an anchor to flip over him and sent him flying into a group of marines with a harsh roundhouse kick at light speed.  
During that split second when Akainu was thrown back, she drew a silver whistle from underneath her cloak and blew it. Hard.  
The whistle's sharp sound echoed on the battlefield, doubled only by the shrill cry of a huge white eagle that swooped out of nowhere to land beside the assassin.  
"Boys. Ship. Now." _They're too damn slow._  
With three short words, the eagle took off again immediately, sweeping by the D. brothers and grabbing one in each talon before heading towards the Moby Dick, which was miraculously unscathed.  
Jinbei barely had time to react when the assassin appeared beside him.  
"Get Whitebeard and go. I'll stall."  
She said, her voice calm and confident, unlike the tone she applied with Akainu.  
"Now!"  
Then she was gone, disappearing from view only to reappear behind Akainu and delivering a fatal blow which would've killed any normal (read: crazy strong normal) person.  
 _The rumours do not do her justice._ Jinbe thought, and ran towards Whitebeard. He wasn't part of the crew, but he sure as hell wasn't going to let the old man die.  
Not if he could help it.  
And that person was on their side…more or less.

 _The tides are turning and the waves are beginning to churn. The world is shifting._  
-=v=-  
Ace wasn't sure what to think.  
Hell, he doubts that he could think now even if he tried.  
He was with Luffy on the ground just a second ago preparing to bolt, and now they were a couple dozen feet in the air, hanging on the talons of a larger than life eagle.  
Nope, he was most definitely **not** freaking out.  
And Luffy screaming wasn't helping either.  
Thank gods their little flight through the air was a short one. By short he meant it barely lasted five seconds.  
That eagle was insanely fast.  
But Ace had more important things to worry about now than a weird eagle.  
The moment Ace's feet touched down on the wooden deck of the Moby Dick, he ran towards the bow and clambered up the figurehead, his concern for his crew family overriding the pain and discomfort that wrecked his body.  
"Oyaji! Marco! Guys!"  
He yelled, though it wasn't as loud as he wanted. But it'd suffice as long as someone heard him.  
Which…they probably didn't. Not when they were all standing with their mouths agape as they stared at the infamous assassin like the bunch of idiots they were.  
"I must be hallucinating…that L is helping us?"  
"What are the chances that all of us are hallucinating the same thing, at the same time?"  
"So we're not hallucinating?"  
"I'd say yes, but no, we're not."  
Ace felt the corner of his mouth twitch.  
He'd never known his crewmates were this idiotic. They were in the middle of a war in this gods forsaken marine headquarters for crying out loud! Which part of **not the time to be gaping like idiots** did they not understand?!  
…Oh well, at least Oyaji and Marco and the other commanders had noticed him.  
"Ace! What-how-when-?" Haruta, who was closest to the ship, immediately leaped aboard and nearly crashed into Ace in the process. "Since when did you get on the ship-hey, i just saw that bird a second ago! When did it-?"  
"Just now. And to answer your question, you guys probably didn't see it because you were too busy looking at her."  
"Oh shut up, Ace." Izo, who came up shortly after Haruta, rolled his eyes in mock exasperation."Have you met the woman? Someone like her wouldn't just help us without an ulterior motive."  
"Really? But to be honest, I've nev-"  
"Old man Whitebeard! Commanders!" Ace was about to retort, but Jinbei chose just that moment to reach the elderly captain's side.  
"Jinbei."  
"Where's Ace-kun? And Luffy-kun too?" He asked, breathing deeply. Someone gestured towards the ship's bow, where Ace could be seen kneeling dangerously on the edge of the figurehead, Haruta and Izo standing next to him. Jinbei sighed in relief. Ace-kun was here, and Luffy-kun probably was too, just out of sight currently. He had been worried, but it seemed the assassin had no intention of hurting the two brothers.  
"What's going on, Jinbei?" Marco asked, not for a moment taking his eyes of the marines gathered around them in case of sudden movement."We saw her talk to you. What did she want?"  
"Observant as always, eh?" Straightening, Jinbe turned towards Whitebeard. "She told us to take Ace-kun and Luffy-kun and get out while she stalls Akainu. What do you think?"  
"Gurarara, cheeky girl. Telling me what to do." Whitebeard laughed, drawing unimpressed looks from many of his sons. "Tell our allies to retreat. We're leaving."  
"You're really gonna listen to her?"  
"She can take care of herself."  
"Whatever you say."

"Hold on a second…how is the Moby completely unscathed?"  
"Are you seriously asking that?"  
"No! I mean, Akainu's attack earlier-"  
"Who cares how?! Get your ass on board already!"  
-=v=-  
From what Sengoku could tell,Akainu was positively beyond furious.  
 _Well, he's not the only one._  
Looking down at his long-time friend whom he was sitting on, he couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.  
 _Curse Garp and his damn family of felons._  
"Sengoku! Let me go! I'm gonna go rip that upstart Sakazuki a new one. How dare he-"  
 _Ugh, forget headaches, he's gonna have a migraine just from dealing with Garp._  
"Your grandsons are safe, you idiot. Stop yelling and see for yourself."  
"How am i supposed to 'see for myself' with your huge-ass self sitting on me!"  
 _Fair point_ , he thought, and moved off him.  
Garp got up, and looked towards where Akainu was being held up.  
His eyes widened when he saw the person in question, and a weird glint crept into them which did not go unnoticed by Sengoku.  
"You know why she saved them, don't you?"  
"Bwahahaha! Nope!"  
"That's a lie and we both know it."  
"So what?"  
"…nothing."  
"Bwahahahaha! Never thought I'd see the magma brat get held up!"  
"You're enjoying this too much, Garp."  
 _Though, if Garp knows that woman…things just got even more complicated, didn't they?_

* * *

So that's it for the chapter 1.  
Honestly, it didn't exactly go the same way as in the manga/anime, i was inclined to change it, but meh, i figured if Ace didn't die, any other details didn't matter.

But just for reference, by the time Ace died in the anime, the Moby Dick was completely burnt to ash (exaggeration), Whitebeard's lost half his head, and the other commanders have more or less sustained some injuries.  
That. Never. Happened.  
I'm too lazy.  
And the story was like, 90 percent done anyway.

And the fight scenes are totally shit, I know.  
So, once again…  
Please.  
Read.  
And.  
Review.  
Thank you.


	3. Chapter 2 : Terminus

Chapter 2, on a plate. My trial exams just passed, and the actual exam is about a month away. I might be able to write more, considering the exam lasts the whole of November, but i really only have ten days where I have to sit for papers. So…i'd try to study, but I'm pretty sure my mind will drift back to this story and refuse to leave when i eventually get bored with my textbooks. Pure joy.  
Anyways, **anaisonfire** asked if the L in this story has any relation to L from Death Note. Well the truth is, i have no idea who that is. Because i have never watched Death Note. Heard of it? Yes. Watched it? No. As to who L really is, you already know one of her identities, the others are classified info until you read it.  
Ps. Thanks for the advice.  
And thank you for all the reviews, favourites, and follows, even though it's not much. I really appreciate it.  
And also, to **Angel0940** : Do you mean the Ace part, the four lines I put in on a random thought, or just everything concerning the Moby Dick? I'm kinda curious.  
…I'm talking too much.

Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece and never will.

* * *

From his vantage point, Sengoku had a decently clear view of the retreating pirates and the marine soldiers that were trying to pursue them despite the fact that a large ravine, courtesy of Whitebeard, was in their way, spanning across the solid stone foundation that made up the bay area of Marineford.  
 _This war is lost._ He thought grimly, and it dealt a heavy blow which his pride bore the brunt of.

After all, the marines were the ones who initiated this war, yet they were also the ones who lost it on home ground. Even with a armload of advantages, they still lost.  
 _We would've won_ , a voice at the back of his mind insisted. _We would've rid the world of Roger's and Dragon's blood if it weren't for that damned woman._  
Sengoku prided himself for his tactical and strategic prowess, for his ability to make things go according to plans, but now, he wasn't so sure. Many hours had been spent plotting this war, simulating every way the war could turn out, and hence eliminating every element that could cause the war to go awry. Even with the Whitebeard Pirates as the opponent, he had been quite confident that they would still win, yet he had failed to foresee Queen's appearance, her intervention nor her apparent strength.  
And overall , he failed to foresee her as the wild card that would throw a wrench in his plans and ultimately turn the tables on them.  
For the first time (NOT), Sengoku felt weary.  
 _Maybe I'll go into retirement after this, I'm getting too old for this shit…  
_ "We've lost this war, haven't we?"  
And Garp just had to be a pain in the neck and state that fact with the bluntness of a sharpened knife.  
"Have you ever heard of 'tact'?"  
"Nope!"  
…of course not. He's Garp. Why did he even bother asking?

Returning his attention to the battlefield, Sengoku allowed his gaze to linger on the two forms fighting in the middle of the bay, marines and pirates alike were giving them a wide berth lest they got incinerated by a stray ball of magma or sliced to ribbons by a flying blade attack. The assassin herself seemed like she was hardly exerted, all the while effortlessly dancing around Akainu's attacks with impossible grace and speed. The same, however, could not be said for the Admiral. He had immense stamina, and his strength was formidable, but from what Sengoku could tell, he lacked the amount of emotional restraint displayed by his opponent, his frustration showing through his clenched teeth and heated glare. And of course, being much bulkier than the lean woman, he had more momentum, which resulted in quite a few occasional shifts in balance. Not to mention the taunting.  
"You're getting slower, Admiral." He heard her say as she dodged under his outstretched arm."Don't tell me that's the best you can do."  
…Sengoku was torn between whether to call her confident or suicidal.  
Confident seemed more likely.  
He continued observing the fight until Tsuru came over, reminding him that while they knew the war was lost, it wouldn't be over until he, the fleet admiral gave the order for the marine soldiers to cease pursuit of the pirates.  
Sengoku sighed, and stood to his full height.  
"Come on, Garp. Let's go drag that 'upstart' back and get this over with."  
However someone had already done his job for him…well at least partially.  
If he recalled, the pink haired marine that suddenly started to yell at everyone to stop fighting was one of Garp's newer recruits, though his name eluded him.  
…whatever. He had orders to give.  
-=v=-  
L was trained to be light on her feet.  
As she dodged and weaved around the enraged admiral, memories of lessons long ago surfaced.  
 _Keep on your toes.  
Keep moving.  
Never falter._  
A voice from days past echoed within her mind, repeating the same lines over and over like a mantra.  
 _I know_ , she thought.  
Underneath the mask, a small smile could be seen on her lips, a light curve that gave off a vibe of fondness.  
"Do you only know how to dodge?! Is this all the so-called most dangerous assassin can do? Hide like a coward?!"  
Killjoy.  
Prying her attention back to the present, she dodged another magma fist, stepping backwards to avoid burning a hole through her cloak.  
At that moment, something tickled her senses at the edge of her mind. Altering her position so that she faced the eastern side of the bay, she risked a glance at the water.  
 _Finally_ , she sighed mentally as a large ship with a red dragon figurehead appeared in the previously empty dock.  
They should be noticing anytime now, she noted, sneaking glances at the pirates and marines. Those guys aren't exactly inconspicuous. She slightly glared when she laid eyes on the Moby Dick, which had only just pushed out into the water but turned away immediately. What were they, sloths? She thought as she delivered a swift punch to the admiral's gut. And to think she'd gone out of her way to keep Akainu occupied to buy them time to escape.  
Broken out of her internal reverie by the sound of sandals slapping on stone, she instinctively reacted, leaping backwards and putting some distance between herself and Akainu just as a saber intercepted the fist of liquid fire.  
"Took you long enough, Red-Hair." L huffed indignantly.  
"Apologies, your majesty. Did we keep you waiting?" The red haired Yonkou replied lazily, not at all sounding apologetic.  
"Keep talking, I'm certain I'll find something to do with your lingua after I extirpate it." Assured that the magma-using admiral wouldn't be coming after her, not by a long shot, the assassin sheathed her sword, all the while responding to Shanks with an icy tone of voice.  
"My part is done." _For now._ "The rest is yours." With that, she disappeared, her departure as sudden as her arrival.  
Shanks turned slightly to look at the spot where she disappeared, brows furrowed. "I have no idea what she just said." Turning back to the admiral, who in his moment of distraction, had been surrounded by members of the Red-haired Pirates."Do you?" He asked, his tone mockingly innocent.  
"I believe she threatened to cut off your tongue, Shanks." Benn Beckman, forever the loyal first mate, replied, sharp eyes trained on someone further away.  
"Brutal as usual, eh? Captain."  
"Heh, look who's talking."  
"Focus you idiots! We're in Marineford for Roger's sake!"  
"Red-Hair!"The admiral growled.  
"Impressed much, Akainu?" Said redhead replied. Allowing a small sigh to escape him, Shanks withdrew his saber, sending a side-glance to the glowering admiral who had ceased his attacks, knowing full well that he wouldn't be able to take on another Yonkou after his previous battle.  
"What are you here for, Red-Hair?"  
"I'm here to stop this war."  
-=v=-  
"Blackbeard." Check.  
"Laffitte." Check.  
"Jesus Burgess." Check.  
"Van Augur." Check.  
"Doc Q and Stronger." Double check.  
"Sanjuan Wolf." Check.  
"Avalo Pizarro." Check.  
"Vasco Shot." Check.  
"Catarina Devon." Check.  
"Shiliew." Check.  
That rat sure knows how to pick the worst, she mused as she checked names off of a rolodex as she observed the group of pirates (sans Wolf) who were in turn observing the battlefield from the half-destroyed scaffold. Recruiting a group of uglies to taint the ocean.  
Hmm…group of uglies…a rather apt name, if she must say.  
 _Heh._  
Beside Blackbeard's name, she wrote: BBP-Group of uglies.  
Storing away the rolodex in her own satchel, she returned her attention to the pirates below her as she sensed a sudden shift in their aura.  
They were going to reveal themselves.  
 _"voz silenciosa. forma estable."_  
She whispered, and the pirates suddenly stilled, unable to speak or move. From her perch on a hidden ledge, she could see the look of fear in Blackbeard's eyes as well as the similar expressions plastered all over his crew's faces.  
"You are not going anywhere until I say so." Or for that matter of fact, speaking neither. Leaning back against the ledge, she flipped open a new page of her notebook and wrote down her observations, calmly awaiting the end of the war.  
-=v=-  
Aboard the Moby Dick, the Whitebeard Pirates' second division commander stared in stunned silence as they swiftly retreated from the waters of Marineford, images of a black cloaked woman going toe to toe with the strongest admiral flashing through his mind. He vaguely registered the sounds of their medical personnel rushing the wounded down to the sick bays for treatment.

 _ **Luffy…!**_

He suddenly remembered. Where the hell was he?!  
Damn it, how could I have forgotten about Luffy! Scanning the crowd, silver eyes quickly located the seventeen year old captain slumped against the railings, struggling to lift himself in a feeble attempt to reach his brother.  
"Luffy!"  
Just as said little brother somehow managed to nearly pitch himself overboard, muscular arms wrapped around his torso and pulled him back to sit him down in none other than Ace's lap.  
"A-Ace…" Luffy mumbled as he inhaled the familiar scent of his nii-chan. "M'sleepy…" The kid was barely conscious, his exhausted body demanding to be allowed the rest it deserved through heavy eyelids. Yet he fought to keep awake, wanting to be near his nii-chan, if only to assure himself physically that Ace wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon. The clash with that crazy admiral earlier had been a very close call.  
One too close for comfort.

"Don't leave…"  
"I'm not going anywhere, Luffy."  
"…promise?"  
"Promise."  
"Okay…"  
Finally succumbing to his condition, Luffy leaned back against Ace, breathing evening out as he almost immediately fell unconscious, oblivious to his brother's half-exasperated chuckle.  
"…you're such a troublesome little brother, you know that?." _But I wouldn't have it any other way._  
Gently shifting Luffy to a more comfortable position which made him easier to carry, Ace slowly stood up, not wanting to jostle him too much, and started making his way below deck.  
Just as he stepped through the doorway to the lower levels, Ace suddenly felt as if he was missing something. The feeling disappeared as soon as he turned, and seeing nothing out of the ordinary except for his crew family rushing around in a mess that wasn't his to sort, gave the quickly receding edifice that was Marineford one last look, before heading down into the shadows of the stairway.  
A random thought flashed across his mind as he turned a corner.  
 _Where'd that oversized bird go?_  
-=v=-  
"Red-Hair…the one who put Luffy on the path to become a pirate…" Beside Sengoku, Garp growled, the presence of the redhead Yonkou bringing up memories of rebellious and stubborn grandsons.

Both of whom had chosen to stand against him.

He felt Sengoku grip his shoulder as his fists repeatedly clenched and unclenched, the contact somehow anchoring him enough that he wouldn't rush out to beat the red-haired brat to a bloody pulp.

The way Garp saw it, he at least deserved that much for corrupting Luffy and by extension Ace. Luffy's worship of the man be damned!

Shanks was speaking now, his voice projected clearly as he rejoined his crew in front of the Red Force.  
"If you keep on fighting, both sides will suffer more pointless casualties. If anybody still wants to fight," He drew his sword. "…then come! We will be your opponents."  
The marines, prepared to board their ships to go after the Whitebeard Pirates, all paused simultaneously. If given a choice, they wouldn't go after them. Not when so many of their own had fallen and were in dire need of medical attention. But orders were orders, and they were soldiers. They could only respond to orders. Many eyes turned to look at the fleet admiral, uncertainty flashing in their eyes with a hint of hopefulness.  
Akainu glared at him, while Aokiji and Kizaru looked on nonchalantly. Tsuru and Garp nodded in silent agreement.  
"Abandon pursuit!"  
Sengoku yelled out the order, reminded of his responsibility towards his subordinates.  
"But fleet admiral…!" Some protested.  
"I will take the blame for everything."  
"Tend to the fallen! This war is over!"  
-=v=-  
Shanks smirked. Sengoku wasn't so bad after all, it seems.  
"It's unlikely that he will be able to keep his position." Benn stated from his side.  
More like impossible. He said to himself.  
But instead of frowning like Benn thought he would, Shanks grinned.  
"Ah, I'm afraid you might be wrong, old friend. While unlikely, there's still a rather small chance he will keep it."  
Benn raised an eyebrow questioningly. "And why is that?"  
"Because we have a present for him."  
A loud crash sounded in the direction of the scaffold.  
"Sengoku!"  
The man looked back, his annoyed expression clearly saying what the hell do you want?  
"That," Shanks started, gesturing at the location of the crash. "…is a little something from me and her majesty. Do whatever you want with it." Jumping aboard his ship, the captain turned to yell at his crew. "Well what are you lot waiting for? Let's get out of here!"

"I will never understand how their brains work…"

* * *

And~the end. Both for this chapter and the Paramount War. To tell the truth, I'm not very satisfied with this chapter, but I don't have a beta and my friends are…unproductive in this area of expertise, so I honestly did my best to make it work.  
Though I did notice a little too late that I'd left some people out, for example: Ivankov and co. They are…somewhere…but they did leave with the Whitebeards'. So that's that. And Aokiji and Kizaru. Them because they weren't exactly the focus of attention so…it sort of slipped my mind.  
And Akainu was a total pain in the neck to write, what with all his absolute justice crap. Him and Sengoku are kind of OOC.  
Never mind all that, does anyone know what Shanks 'little present' is? I myself think it's kind of obvious.  
Next chapter will be about L and the Whitebeards', so like, if there's something you think will happen/would like to happen, just say so. I'm kind of low on ideas for their interactions.  
Anyways, **read** and **review** please. I will be very happy. **Very**.  
Ps. Someone from canon who we all know and love will be debuting next chapter. Oh and before I forget(again), I would love to have someone help me beta, so if anyone can help/wants to help, I'll happily welcome you.


	4. Chapter 3 : After

Here's chapter 3. This chapter is mostly Marco-centric because it's kind of a bridge so L won't be making an appearance.  
And also, thank you to all you people who favourited and followed this story. Currently, this story has 32 favourites and 53 followers. I think it's quite a lot considering this is my first fanfiction so I'm really happy.  
To Angel0940: Thanks for your reviews! I really enjoy reading them and so far you've reviewed every chapter for 'L', and I'm totally going "Oh my gosh, you're too kind!". And also, thanks for the feedback.^v^  
Now, read and enjoy.  
Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece and never will. But I do own L and everything about her.

* * *

For a day stained with bloodshed and memories best left forgotten, the sky that night was surprisingly clear.  
The moon was out, white and full with no clouds to hide it, casting soft light onto the Moby Dick. Even the sea was calm, waves lapping softly against the ship's hull, as if she thought that they deserved a break after the day's events.  
Silently stepping out onto the stern deck where the commander's quarters were located, Marco leaned against the railings and looked down at the sea foam that trailed behind the Moby, replaying a previous conversation in his mind.

 _"What's going on, Jinbei?" Marco asked, not for a moment taking his eyes off the marines gathered around them in case of sudden movement."We saw her talk to you. What did she want?"  
"Observant as always, eh?" Straightening, Jinbe turned towards Whitebeard. "She told us to take Ace-kun and Luffy-kun and get out while she stalls Akainu. What do you think?"  
"Gurarara, cheeky girl. Telling me what to do." Whitebeard laughed, drawing unimpressed looks from many of his sons. "Tell our allies to retreat. We're leaving."  
"You're really gonna listen to her?"  
"She can take care of herself."  
"Whatever you say."_

He frowned.  
At the time, they had been in a hurry to get away and he had shoved it to the back of his mind as he had more pressing matters to think about, but now that he had time to actually think of stuff other than **getting the hell out of marine territory** , he noticed that Oyaji seemed to know something he didn't about the female assassin. He wonders if his captain knew that she would be there.

 _That's impossible. I would've known otherwise_. He thought, ruling out that possibility.  
 _Why would she help us then?_ He wondered. _Last I checked, we don't exactly know her…_

Lost in contemplation, Marco failed to notice the 'click-clack' sound of wooden getas as they grew closer until he felt a small pat on his shoulder.  
"Marco."  
"Izo? I thought you'd already went to bed." He asked, surprised that there were people still up at this time. It was, like three in the morning, and they'd had had a very trying day. Thus he had expected everyone to be asleep.  
"I did. Couldn't fall asleep though, so I came up for some fresh air." The sixteenth commander shrugged, clad in a plain kosode with the sash tied loosely.  
"You, unable to sleep? That's a first."  
"So it would seem." He replied, leaning down next to him, long slender fingers drumming rhythmically on the sanded wood.  
Marco noted that his brother's long hair had been pinned up neatly-though not in his usual style-instead of the low ponytail he sometimes wore in case of midnight emergencies.  
He had been up for a while. Marco looked at him suspiciously. "Is that really all you're here for?"  
The man gave him a look, one that said _'Are you seriously asking that?'_ and he felt a sudden urge to hit someone. Fortunately, Izo decided to speak up before he snapped.  
"I'm rather…worried, you could say."  
"About what?  
"You know what."  
Turning so that his back was against the railings, Izo let out a small sigh as he looked up at the night sky."No one's saying anything, but I'm pretty sure all of us-you included-are thinking about it."

"Well?" He prompted.  
"I wouldn't jump to conclusions yet." Marco responded, lacing his fingers together.  
"Your reason being?"  
"…it's just a hunch, but I think Oyaji knows something."  
"When doesn't he?"  
"Point. But I just can't shake this weird feeling I've been having since we left Marineford."  
"Feels like something's going to happen, right? I know. We all are."  
Silence grew between them, neither knowing how to continue their conversation. Marco eventually broke the silence, directing the conversation to less serious matters.

"…how's Ace's little brother?"  
"Last I heard, he was still unconscious. Ace refuses to budge until his brother wakes up."  
"And when will that be?"  
"Windry says probably sometime this week or the next. She can't say for sure."  
"He's gonna hole up in the infirmary then?"  
"At least he thought to bring a pillow and blanket."  
Marco was skeptical.  
Since when did Ace, that Ace, Phot-headed 2nd division commander Firefist Ace need a blanket? The idiot was a walking furnace who was **literally** **immune** to temperature.  
"Are you just saying that?"  
"Unfortunately, no. He really did bring a blanket. Namur ran into him on his way there." Izo sighed in exasperation. "To quote our dear 2nd commander: _'Of course I'm bringing a blanket. Luffy wouldn't be happy if he saw me sleeping without one regardless of whether I'm cold or not.'_ Tch, talk about a serious case of brother complex."  
Marco chuckled.  
In some way, he wasn't very surprised. He had half-expected something similar to happen, considering what he knew of Ace.  
"Well, not that it matters. Now that I've spoken my mind, I can go back to sleep." Izo suddenly straightened and stretched his arms, a satisfied smile plastered on his face.  
"You didn't get up just to 'speak your mind', did you?"  
"Maybe."  
"Go back to sleep already."  
"I intend to."  
Marco rolled his eyes as the sound of his brother's footsteps receded down the hall, eventually disappearing as the sound of a door closing was faintly heard.  
He should probably go to sleep too. Tomorrow was sure to be a busy day and he needed all the sleep he could get.  
-=v=-  
Come morning, the crew of the Moby Dick set to work after a large breakfast, treating the wounded, repairing weapons, taking inventory of their food and weapons store, contacting their allies and plotting a course towards someplace without marine presence so they could recuperate in peace.

Or in Ivankov's case, borrowing a den-den mushi to call his subordinates for a pick up.

Anyone who wasn't too injured to move was busy somewhere with something, even the commanders. Marco, as deputy captain, spent the better half of the morning in the captain's quarters, discussing various matters with Whitebeard who had been forcibly confined to bed rest by the nurses the moment they finished dressing his wounds. He emerged onto deck around ten and headed towards the infirmary to check up on a certain logia-user, who may or may not have unintentionally caused mass panic within the crew's chefs and many others by not eating breakfast, or so he had been told.

On the way, he ran into Jinbei, Ivankov, Crocodile and several others who were sitting in a partially hidden corner where they wouldn't be in the way, playing cards. He greeted them with a simple nod and continued on his way.  
"Commander Marco." A petite woman with hazelnut blonde hair braided down her back greeted him when he entered the infirmary. A few crew members waved at him from their beds, calling out greetings. He waved back and returned his focus to the woman in front of him.  
"Windry. How's everything going?"  
"Oh, _just~ fine_. Everyone's _SO_ cooperative."  
"Are they giving you a hard time?" He chuckled lightly, all too used to the diminutive head doctor's sarcasm.  
The doctor waved her hand dismissively. "Aside from constantly complaining about staying in bed, not really."  
She turned to retrieve a clipboard from the desk behind her.  
"I take it you're here for Strawhat?"  
"Ace, actually." She cocked an eyebrow, finding his answer a little unexpected.  
"He's fine. A little malnourished with some minor wounds here and there but nothing too serious. He's in there." She said, pointing at a nearby door with her pen. "Idiot refuses to leave his brother's side until he wakes up."  
"I've heard."  
"Bring this in with you. Mike brought it earlier but _apparently_ he wasn't hungry." She handed him a tray with a bowl of broth and some bread which he carefully took.

"By the way, how is he?" Marco asked, remembering someone else who was also in the infirmary.  
"No changes yet, unfortunately."  
-=v=-  
 _He glared down at a straw hat-wearing boy who was tied to a tree. Smiling.  
"Let's kill him."  
"Right. Let's do that."  
"EEHHH! Don't kill me!"  
And then the sounds of the forest faded away. He looked up, expecting to see dense tree canopies, but found a dirty wooden ceiling.  
"Here's dinner." A deer was thrown at an obese orange-haired woman.  
"Roast it. Fast."  
"Dinner!"  
He walked past her, pipe in hand and_ _suddenly he was flying through the air, the woman yelling at them to not come out until they counted to ten thousand before he landed in hot water.  
Right. This was the bathroom. He remembered. _

_And then he felt heavy. Sinking._

 _A hand wrapped around_ _his midsection, pulling him up above water.  
"Oi! I've got him!" Who…?  
"You guys…why do you call him your father anyway?"  
"Because he calls us his sons."  
A familiar voice. He lifts his head.  
"It's just a word. But it makes us happy."  
A familiar face.  
Marco.  
Whitebeard.  
A sword sliced through skin and flesh, protruding from the giant man's back.  
Traitor.  
He wanted to scream.  
He looked up, hearing numerous screams sounding through the air.  
"Doesn't matter, we're gonna die! It's frozen all over down there!"  
A familiar figure with a straw hat free fell from the sky and he felt his heart skip a beat.  
_ _ **Luffy!**_ _  
"Sabo was such a kind elder brother." A childish voice sighed.  
A second voice yelled angrily.  
"What's that supposed to mean?! Would you rather I died instead?!"  
The trees shifted, turning into a worn wooden hut.  
"I heard that you were a naughty boy, Ace-kun…but you're surprisingly well-behaved." A woman's voice said and he felt his face grow red. "I-if you say so."  
Snickering came from nearby.  
"He's embarrassed."  
"Ace, your face is all red!"  
_ _...  
_ His hand was intertwined with Luffy's tightly as he slept, head pillowed on his other arm and lightly snoring.

This admittedly heartwarming scene was what greeted Marco when he entered the room.  
 _He's asleep, huh?_  
Soundlessly making his way over, he placed the tray down on the nightstand.  
"Ace, wake up." He said, raising his voice a little. When he didn't respond, Marco turned around to look at him. Only then did he noticed the many different emotions that were flashing across the younger man's freckled face. One moment he was smiling, and suddenly he started to frown. Sadness appeared soon followed by a low growl which quickly turned into a whimper.  
"ACE. WAKE. UP." He repeated, stressing each word as if he could get the message across through sheer will. He stirred a little, but didn't wake.  
Sighing resignedly, he reached out and shook him by his shoulders, effectively pulling him out of dreamland.  
"Huh? Marco? Wha're you doin'ere?" Ace asked sleepily, rubbing his eyes and yawning.  
"I don't know. Babysitting you?"  
Marco responded, taking the bowl of broth from the tray and handing it to him.  
"Eat."  
Ace looked down at the meal in his hands. The broth smelled nice, _probably tastes nice too_ , but…  
"I'm not hungry."  
 _Growl_.  
"You sure?"  
He sighed, sitting down in a chair opposite Ace. Blue eyes met grey ones, and suddenly Ace felt the need to avert his gaze. Not that he dared when Marco was clearly in lecture mode.  
"Ace, you need to eat. You haven't eaten anything since last night, and I'm pretty sure you were only fed enough to stay alive before."  
"Besides, Izo told me what you told Namur about the blanket. How do you think your brother would feel if he knew you weren't eating?" He added, gesturing at the sleeping form of the Strawhat captain.  
"…he would get mad…"  
"Exactly."  
"Fine. I'll eat." Ace mumbled, reaching for the spoon.  
Marco couldn't help but feel a bit guilty as he watched him slowly drink the broth, his usual vigor that was always present at meal times gone. He had played low, using Straw Hat's possible reaction to get Ace to eat.

But hey, at least it worked.

He regarded Luffy, taking in the copious amount of bandages covering what visible part of his body.  
 _Thank Roger Ace has such a major soft spot for you, eh?_  
It may have been a trick of the light, but in the morning light that filtered in through the portholes, Marco swore he saw the corner of Straw Hat's mouth twitch upwards, though only slightly.  
 _I guess the feeling's mutual._  
-=v=-  
 _Beep.  
Beep.  
Beep.  
Beep._  
In another room, a man lay unmoving, his auburn hair a stark contrast against the white sheets of the bed. He seemed to be asleep, the covers rising and falling in rhythm with his his side, a monitor glowed lightly in the dim lighting, multiple lines that zigzagged across the screen displayed the man's current condition.

Clipboard in hand, Windry wrote down the numbers displayed on the side before placing it back at the foot of the bed. She shoved her hands into the pockets of her lab coat, lips pursed as she watched him breathe.  
"How long are you planning to stay in here?" She muttered under her breath. "It's already been months…"  
 _And you're_ _ **still**_ _here._

A sharp knock broke her from her thoughts.  
"Windry!" On the other side of the door, one of the nurses called out. "Barry pulled his stitches again. Max tried to remove his cast and Otis, Sean and Toby are trying to escape."  
She groaned inwardly. _Great. More work._ Taking a deep breath, she tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.  
"Those numskulls…" she scowled, reaching for the door, the irritation on her face as clear as day.  
As she stepped out, she turned around to glare at the man.  
"You better wake up soon, you hear me? I don't want you in my infirmary any longer than necessary."  
The door closed none too quietly as the ship doctor stormed out, her snarling soon followed by a series of pained shrieking and cursing as the various escapee wannabes were forcefully returned to their beds.

 _Twitch._  
The monitor beeped a little faster.  
-=v=-  
"Captain! The Moby Dick's in sight! Currently forty degrees off starboard."  
Inside a well-lit room, a young man wearing a boiler suit called out towards a tall, dark-haired man who was reclining on a nearby couch reading.  
Prying his gaze from the material text in his hands, the man grinned, a devious glint in his eyes.  
"Is that so? Prepare to surface then." He ordered as he closed the book, placing it on a side table. Getting up, he grabbed a round spotted hat and shoved it onto his dark, messy hair. A nodachi found its spot in his hands, hilt resting against his shoulders.  
"Let's go meet 'the strongest man in the world'."

* * *

Ah…somehow this chapter was a lot easier to write than the previous three chapters. I wonder why?  
Read and review please. Thank you.  
(I'm serious. PLEASE. REVIEW. I need to know what people think to make the story better.)  
Syrisna.  
=V= o


	5. Chapter 4 : Identity

Disclaimer : I do not own One Piece. Ever.

* * *

Meal times on the Moby Dick was rambunctious, loud, and messy.  
On any other day, Marco would yell at them for causing a ruckus, but today, he decided to simply let them be.

It hasn't even been a day since the war.  
Yet it felt like so long ago.

Several of the nurses stumbled in through the galley's door, their usually impeccable hair disheveled as they almost simultaneously fell into their seats at a nearby table. In his peripheral vision, he saw that most everyone had noticed the group of women who looked like they were dead at the table, all exchanging looks of concern for their sisters who had been obviously working through the night. No one moved to approach them however, knowing full well the consequences of disturbing their sisters when they were as exhausted as they looked.

Lunch continued, though it was considerably quieter than before.

A half hour later, the women slowly started to wake, yawning and stretching as they fought off the weariness.  
One of the chefs, Adela came over, a tray of freshly brewed coffee balanced on one hand.  
"Do you ladies want lunch?" She asked, as she placed the steaming drinks in front of the nurses.  
"Lunch sounds nice…" Mira, a pale woman with chestnut hair replied, just barely coherent enough to answer. The other nurses simply sounded their confirmation through a chorus of 'Mmmhmm's.  
"Long night?" Marco asked, making his way over.  
"You have no idea…" Another nurse, Paige drawled as she raked her fingers through her blonde locks, trying to untangle the knots in it. "Fucking bunch of idiots tried to escape treatment and pissed Windry off."  
"I know." He had heard the screams when he was waiting for Ace to finish breakfast, though they were somewhat muffled by the door.  
"How'd you know?" Mira asked, head resting on the table.  
"I went to check on Strawhat and Ace."  
"Ah."  
"Well then, enjoy your lunch break, girls. I expect Windry will want you back soon?"  
"One hour." The nurses groaned in unison.  
"Better make the most of it then."

Leaving them to their lunch which had just been served, Marco strode out the door and headed to his room. They were a large crew, and he was the first commander. Being commander meant responsibility, and that responsibility more often than not, came in the form of paperwork.  
And right now, said paperworks were sitting in a large stack on top his desk.  
He hated responsibility sometimes.  
-=v=-  
Law stood in the navigation room, watching as his crew worked the submarine, bringing it as close as possible to the Whitebeard flagship without outright colliding into it. They were about to bring her up to the surface when suddenly, Law spoke. "Bepo." He called. His navigator, a polar bear turned to look at his captain. "Is something wrong, Captain?" It asked. Law nodded, and pointed at the ceiling with his nodachi. "I want you to go up there and greet the Whitebeard Pirates."  
"Ehh?! Why me?"  
"Because you're a polar bear."  
The sound of poorly stifled bursts of laughter could be heard all around the room.  
"I'm sorry..." The polar bear hung its head, a dark cloud floating over him. The crew was all too used to it, and Law had known his navigator for a long time, so no one was bothered by the sudden display of depression.  
"Go. We'll be surfacing soon."  
As Bepo exited the room, a smirk crept onto Law's face.  
This was gonna be fun to watch.  
-=v=-  
After lunch, everyone went back to their work.  
Whitebeard sat in his chair on deck, finally allowed to leave his bed. He breathed, the salty scent of the sea calming worries he didn't even know he had. Staring out at the sea, his thoughts drifted to one particular woman, and he grinned. Memories of a duel between two swordsman from twenty years ago came to mind.

 _That girl's all grown up now, eh?_ He thought, remembering a small figure who hid behind a crate as the swordsmen dueled, awed at the display of skills.  
She was such a tiny thing then, she could easily lie on his palm and still have enough space to roll around.

 _My sons don't seem to have recognized her_ , though.

He was broken from his reminiscing when one of the men on watch suddenly yelled.  
Something about an unknown pirate ship which appeared out of nowhere.

He watched in quiet amusement as his sons-at least those on deck-perked up. He could literally see what they were thinking: _Unknown pirate ship = Possible Enemy = Fight = FUN._ Chuckling, he took a sip out of his tankard and grimaced as the bland taste of water slipped down his throat instead of the familiar sweet tang of ale. Right…he forgot. His daughters-those that were part of their medical personnel-had taken all the ale and hid them. He wouldn't be worried-they had done it plenty of times already-except this time, they had taken all of it, every hidden stash included. How they found it, he had no idea and neither did his sons. He sighed. His daughters were merciless...what was a pirate without his ale?  
His attention was returned to the present when his sons started shrieking at something or another.  
Bobbing on the waves alongside the Moby Dick was the aforementioned ship.  
The ship wasn't really a ship, it was more of a submarine. It was a bright yellow and was weirdly shaped. The crew's jolly roger was painted on the side of the sub, and for a moment, everyone had mistaken it as a certain warlord's but immediately noticed the difference. This one didn't have a cancel line. They sighed in relief. No one wanted to fight the crazy string-user unless they had to.

"Hi." Someone said.  
As one, the men looked towards the person who had spoken. Right there at the ship's bow, was a fluffy-looking, orange boiler suit clad, polar bear.  
And it was standing.  
On TWO. FEET.  
"""It talked!""" The men shrieked ( though they would adamantly deny it later ) in unison. Since when could polar bears talk?! Actually, since when could animals talk?! Several jumped back instinctively while others reached for their weapons. The polar bear looked at them with an unreadable expression, and all of a sudden, his head dropped and a dark cloud formed above him.  
"I'm sorry." Came the very much unexpected response.  
"""Why are you apologising?!"""  
"I'm sorry."  
"""Stop that!"""  
"I'm sorry."  
The exchange repeated itself, each time ending with the polar bear apologising.  
Truth be told, it was kind of freaking them out.  
Someone face palmed.

Looking over his sons, Whitebeard had a clear view of the sub. When he saw the "talking bear" that had his sons screaming like little girls, he started to laugh. His sons turned back to look at him with wide eyes, not sure why their oyaji was suddenly laughing. Gesturing at the polar bear-who appeared to have been startled by him-he grinned. "My sons, he is one of the mink tribe." He said simply, allowing them to figure it out on their own.  
The mink snapped back to attention and turned in the Yonkou's direction.  
"Whitebeard-san. It is an honour to meet you." He bowed slightly, just low enough to be respectful.  
"Gurarara. You're a polite one, aren't you?"  
"Um…" He fidgeted a little, unsure how to respond.  
 _WhatdoIsaynowwhatdoIsaynow…argh! Why did Captain have to send me out? Penguin or Shachi would've been better at this.  
_ "Bepo."  
 _Or Captain. Or Jean Bart. Or…  
_ "Bepo!"  
 _Why does Captain have to be so mean…?  
_ "BEPO!"  
 _Thwack!_

Whitebeard watched in silent amusement as a young man-most likely the captain, if the jolly roger printed on the front of his shirt was any indication-called out to the mink several times, only to be ignored each time and eventually resorting to violently smacking him with his sword to get his attention.  
"Uwah! Captain!" The polar bear mink shrieked, clutching at the spot where the sword had made contact.  
The young man ignored him, and took his place at the bow.  
"My name is Trafalgar Law, captain of the Heart Pirates. This idiot is Bepo, my navigator." He looked around at the pirates crowding the railings.  
"I have something I need to speak about with your captain."  
"Captain! You're too blunt!" Bepo shouted from somewhere behind him.  
 _Damn right he was._  
"What business does one of you supernova brats have with me?" Whitebeard stood to his full height, allowing Law to easily see him from his sub. The elderly captain looked well despite the layers of bandages wrapped around his muscled torso, if only slightly tired. Though that was to be expected. War wasn't kind.  
"Whitebeard-ya." Law greeted, ignoring the indignant protests of the rival crew at his apparent insolence. "Permission to board?"  
"Granted."  
-=v=-  
Grabbing Bepo by his collar, Law activated his powers, extending the blue dome to cover his submarine and the Whitebeard's ship.  
" _Room_." He disappeared, reappearing a couple feet above the Moby Dick and dropped to his feet in the middle of their large deck.  
The Yonkou had already sat back down in his chair on the deck, yellow eyes watching the younger captain with interest as he downed a tankard of ale.  
"You said you had something to talk about?" He asked.  
Law scratched the back of his head, a little nervous all of a sudden.  
"Yes, but actually…" He stuffed his hand into his pocket. "I'm not looking for you."  
"Oh? Then who are you looking for?"  
"Strawhat-ya and his brother. I was told that they escaped with you?"  
The tension heightened immediately. Before, the Whitebeard Pirates were just wary. Now they were outright bristling. Whitebeard raised his hand, a gesture for his sons to calm down. The rookie captain had yet to mention why he wanted to see those two, and he wouldn't blindly antagonize him before he heard his reasons.  
"That's right. And if I may ask, why are you looking for them?"  
At this point, most of his sons had arrived to join those on deck. The commanders-sans Ace-had all gathered around their captain, even Marco (who was supposed to be flooded with paperwork).  
Dark eyes giving away nothing, Law met the scrutinizing gaze of the Yonkou.  
"To check on them." He replied.  
Whitebeard's yellow eyes narrowed.  
"Brat. Are you implying that I can take care of two of my own?"  
Law rolled his eyes at the accusation.  
"Please, like I care about that. Besides, I didn't come here of my own accord."  
"Who sent you then?" Marco asked, both wary and curious.  
"Queen-ya."

"I'm sorry, I must've misheard. Did you say 'Queen'?"  
"Yes."

In a matter of seconds, the Heart captain and navigator was surrounded on all sides with weapons at the ready.  
"Really? And here I thought the Whitebeard Pirates would be more…cordial."  
"Captain!"  
"What does L want?" Someone in the crowd yelled. Law looked mildly exasperated.  
"What makes you think I know?" He snapped back."That woman's mind is twistier than a maze, in case you didn't know."  
Behind him, Bepo nodded vehemently.  
L was hands down, the craziest person the mink had ever met, and he had met quite a few crazies, namely his captain, Strawhat and Kidd. They were all equally crazy, but L was in a league of her own.  
"Well then, do you know why she asked you to come 'check on them'?"  
"No."  
"…what do you know then?"  
"Besides you pointing every dangerous thing at me now? Nothing."  
"Do you know where she is?" Outside the circle, Marco asked. Law raised a brow inquisitively.  
"Why do you want to know that?"  
"We have a few things we'd like to ask her."  
"…she's up there." He raised his nodachi, pointing at the mainmast behind him.  
Sure enough, when they looked up, they found the female assassin standing on the mainsail, leaning against the mast and casually filing her nails.  
"Queen! How long have you been there?!"  
"Long enough." She replied curtly, her tone cold and dismissive.

Her attire had changed. Instead of the cloak, she now wore a black hooded coat that went past her knees. The coat was left open, revealing the form fitting black leather dress that barely brushed the middle of her thigh. The collar was high, completely obscuring her neck while the mask hid her face. Her long (and very beautiful) legs were wrapped in knee-high combat boots (that were most likely steel tipped) and black stockings. In short, everything she wore, except her mask, was black. Her coats' hood was up, hiding long black hair within it.

Below, the men were stunned. The assassin looked beautiful. Even Whitebeard had to admit the fact, despite his age.  
They couldn't see her face, and she was covered from head to toe by various garments, but all of it combined with her very lazy posture made for a very alluring and dangerous image that could possibly take the Pirate Empress' title.  
Law and Bepo on the other hand, were already used to her.  
"Queen-ya." He greeted.  
"Trafalgar." She returned, her attention still trained on her nails.  
"Why did you call me here?" Law asked, knowing she was listening. "If I can't even see them, how am I supposed to check on them?"  
"Your powers."  
"I don't know where they are."  
"Ask."  
"You think it's that easy?"  
"Yes."  
"I hate you sometimes."  
"I know."  
"I really hate you."  
"I'm aware."  
...

The Whitebeard Pirates watched their exchange, amazed at the casualness and ease which Law displayed, and at the same time surprised at the assassin's reaction to everything that was said.  
It was, for lack of a better word…friendly.

Not exactly a word they'd associate with the most dangerous assassin.

Marco decided to interrupt their banter then.  
"L." He spoke up, grabbing herl attention.  
Both her and Law turned towards him.  
"Why are you here?" He asked. Law had told him that she had sent him to check on Ace and his little brother, but he didn't buy it. That was too simple a reason.  
"Law told you." She replied.  
"He did, but I don't buy it." He crossed his arms, waiting to see how she would respond.  
L remained silent for a few minutes, then she reached into her coat and pulled something out, tossing it in Marco's direction. He caught it easily.  
"What's this?" He was holding a very familiar looking shell in his hand.  
"A tone dial."  
"Right." Thanks for the obvious answer.  
"Give it to Firefist."  
"Ace? Why?"  
"He will know."  
Marco looked at her skeptically, and he wasn't the only one. Giving his captain a look, and getting a nod in response, he walked to the other side of the deck and disappeared behind a door, dial in hand.  
-=v=-  
Beside Luffy's bed, Ace had fallen asleep once again after eating the lunch that one of the crew had brought down for him. He had been imprisoned for the better part of last month, and Level 6 in Impel Down wasn't exactly what one would define as comfy. A few weeks of hanging from chains by his hands had his entire body sore and aching all over, and the little work out he had after Luffy released his cuffs didn't help either. His body craved for a bed and adequate rest yet his mind demanded to remain near his otouto. His went with his mind. Windry had told him earlier that Luffy was expected to wake after a few days, and he thought, hey, he'd endured a few weeks of sleeping with his arms chained, what's a few more days of bad sleep. At least he was sitting down and his arms were free. Thus circumstances found him dozing off in the dim lighting of the infirmary room, drifting off into dreamland.  
His dreams this time weren't half as pleasant as the last.  
He had dreamt of his childhood days, yet those days had never happened. In his dream, he was back at Gray Terminal with Luffy and Sabo.  
 _They had been hunting through the trash heaps for anything they could use or sell when heavy footfalls interrupted their everyday banter. He looked up but instead of Sabo's dad as he remembered, a large man with curly black hair stood in front of him. He held Luffy and Sabo up in both hands, their forms limp.  
"Zehahaha. Commander Ace, your brothers are pretty cute, aren't they? Especially this one." He laughed, shaking Luffy around like a rag doll. Ace's eyes widened in recognition. "Blackbeard!" He growled. "Let go of them! Don't you dare touch my brothers!" The man laughed again, the sound sending shudders down his spine. "What're you gonna do about it, commander?" He gestured at Ace with his left hand, Sabo swinging wildly with the movement. "In case you haven't noticed, you a kid too!"  
Ace looked down in horror. He was right. He was a kid now, he thought, staring at his much smaller hands. He started to panic. What was he going to do? He couldn't beat Blackbeard as an adult, how could he possibly beat him now as a kid?! If he couldn't beat him, he couldn't save Sabo and Luffy and if he couldn't save them they would…  
_  
 _'Ace.'  
_  
 _Huh?_  
All of a sudden, Gray Terminal, his brothers, Blackbeard, everything faded away into blankness, and he heard a voice calling him.  
"Who are you?" He asked out loud, hoping for a response.  
Instead of answering, the voice started to hum a melody which quickly turned into a song.

 _In my eye and in my way_

 _In the sky so far away_

 _Are you hiding in the grey_

 _I am on my way to find you_

 _In the shadow where you lay_

The song grew softer and softer until eventually, Ace couldn't hear it any more.  
He woke up.  
The voice continued to sing.

 _In the darkness I'll be praying_

 _One by one in a lonely lullaby_

 _Dancing like a lonely feather_

 _In the windy weather_

 _Looking for a beacon and some clarity_

 _Long to fly again together_

 _And I wonder whether_

 _Will we ever find our melody_

As Ace slowly grew more aware, he found that the song he was hearing was familiar.  
 _Really familiar._

 _Over mountain and below the stars_

 _Light my way so I know where you are_

 _And find me_

 _Anywhere and any time I sing my song for you_

Memories from his childhood surfaced. This song was…  
He looked around for the source, and to his right, he found Marco, staring dumbfounded at something in his hands.

 _My tomorrow my today_

 _It is time for you to find your way_

"Ace." He started as the song came to an end. Ace stopped him, looking at the item that he held.  
"Is that…a tone dial?"  
Marco nodded, handing it to him. "That song just now, did you recognise it?"  
Ace nodded mutely, his focus on the purple conch-shaped dial.  
He pressed down on the apex.  
Immediately, the song repeated itself. Half way through, Ace started humming along unconsciously. The song was short and ended quickly.  
"Where did you get this?" Ace asked, so softly that Marco almost missed it.  
"From L."  
"L?"  
Marco gestured at the door. "Ah. She's dropped in with one of the supernovas, Trafalgar Law just now. Told us to give that to you. Is something wrong?"  
For a moment, Ace looked torn. His gaze flitted back and forth between Luffy and the dial in his hand. _Luffy. Dial. Luffy. Dial._  
"Where is she?"  
"Still on deck, I think."  
 _Perfect._  
He stuffed the dial in his pocket and looked back at Luffy, muttering a soft 'sorry' before storming out the door.  
A few minutes later, the door leading to the infirmary wing slammed open, and Ace walked out, Marco emerging a few seconds later with a mask of deceptive calmness. His captain shot him a look, and he answered with a wave which said 'I'll tell you later'.  
"L! Where are you?" Ace yelled, scanning the deck for the assassin. Someone helpfully showed him where to look and he glared at the assassin who was still leaning against the mast.  
"Where did you get this!" He demanded, pulling the dial out. "And don't say you got it from a shop or anything! No one would know this song except her!"  
 _Her?_  
The assassin chuckled lightly, the sound muffled by her mask.  
"You don't recognize me?" She asked, her voice sounding somewhat…dare he say it, amused.  
"I've never even met you! How the hell would I recognize someone I don't know?!"  
"Is that so?"  
"Then," she jumped off the mainsail, landing in front of Ace.  
"What about now?"  
A violet eye looked at him from underneath the mask that was lifted, enough so that only Ace could see the face behind it.  
Ace could only gasp in shock.  
"Nee-chan?!"

* * *

I think I went a little out of control in this chapter…

Does Law seem a little OOC to any of you?

And Bepo is so cute! I just absolutely LOVE him.

Ps. The song does not belong to me. It's an insert song called _Lonely Feather_ from _Gakusen Toshi Asterisk_ by _Chisuga Haruka_.  
Please read and review.  
Thank you.


	6. Chapter 5 : Sister

Disclaimer : I don't own One Piece and never will.

* * *

"Nee-chan!"  
Ace could only stare in shock as an all too familiar face stared back at him from underneath the mask.

"Hello, Ace." She greeted, her demeanor taking an immediate 180.

"Uh...hi?" Ace returned the greeting uncertainly, not completely sure how to respond to the assassin who was apparently, his sister.  
"Surprised?" She chided, her posture relaxing as she reached out to ruffle his hair. Around them, the sounds of weapons being drawn could be heard, and the atmosphere on the Moby Dick intensified. Behind Ace, Marco tensed, his phoenix waking inside him, ready to burst to life.

L's hand stopped short of Ace, and her face tilted towards them, a dark light gleamed in her eyes, hidden by her mask.

"It seems I'm rather unwelcome." She said. Her voice was as monotonous as before, yet this time, there was a dangerous edge to it. The Whitebeard Pirates simultaneously took a step back, not even realising they had. Ace did too, but he managed to stop himself as soon as he started to move. His sister was already starting to get annoyed, if he was reading her right. _Better not to add oil to the fire._ Hoping to turn her attention away from the idiots he called his brothers, he held out the dial from before.

"Uh…nee-chan?"He felt her gaze slid to him, an indication that she was listening.

"What's this?" He asked lamely, not quite sure how to put his questions into words. "I mean, I know it's a tone dial, but, um…you know?"  
Tearing her gaze from the crowd of pirates ready to attack (read:bolt), she took the dial from his outstretched hand, and pressed down on the apex.  
A beautiful voice sung the words along a melody that was equal in beauty.  
The song was short, but it brought about a strange silence. Even Whitebeard in his chair at one end of the deck, was watching everything with aged, wise eyes, waiting for an answer.  
"This was supposed to be your seventeenth birthday present." She said simply, handing the dial back to Ace. Before Ace could ask, she explained:"I didn't feel like tracking you."  
 _Well no shit, because that explains why he got this three years later than intended._

"You're taking this pretty well."  
"Shit happens on the Grandline all the time."  
"True."

The Whitebeard's suddenly felt a little out of place as they watched the two talk. It wasn't until Marco yelled at them to snap out of it did they remember that the woman that was so casually chatting with their second commander was now a somewhat confirmed friendly and that they should probably sheath their various weapons before she gets pissed off. Again. Seeing as there weren't much to see, they dispersed by Marco's orders, heading back to continue doing whatever they were doing before this interlude. Of course, that didn't mean they weren't curious…

The commanders, seeing the crowd disperse, approached the three standing in the middle of the deck, crowding around Marco as they waited and watched.  
The siblings conversation coming to an end, Marco, who was closest to Ace came up, a hand clamped onto Ace's bare shoulder. When Ace turned a questioning gaze onto the pile of people crowded behind his friend, he tilted his head in the assassin's direction.  
"Well, Ace? Aren't you going to introduce us?"  
Ace slammed a fist onto his open palm in the universal gesture for realisation.  
"Oh yeah! Nee-chan, this is Marco, he's the…"  
She held up a hand, stopping him before he could say more.  
"I know who they are, Ace." She reminded, only then did Ace remember, his sister was an assassin-and one of the best, if not the best-of course she knows who everyone is. That's like part of the job description after all. Clearly, the commanders had forgotten that fact too.  
One by one, she listed all the commanders, their names, epithets, favored combat methods and a few extra tidbits including Ace's. When she was done, their jaws were all hanging as they processed what was just said.  
"Did I miss anyone?"  
No one answered.  
"Hmm. Guess not."  
Laughter boomed across the ship as Whitebeard laughed at his son's display. A few seconds later, he ceased his laughter to catch his breath, and meeting L's gaze despite the mask, beckoned her over.

Leaving the commanders to sort their minds out, she approached Whitebeard.  
"Good to see you're already up and about, Whitebeard-san." Inclining her head politely, she greeted the giant man, who in turn greeted her with a large grin. "Gurarara. Cheeky girl." He raised his tankard, downing another mouthful.  
"You've grown up well, eh? First time I see you in twenty years and you're already breaking my sons."  
"I did nothing of the sort. But I see you're still drinking limitlessly." She replied, gesturing to the tankard. Whitebeard merely shook his head in laughter. Tilting it, he allowed a few drops of the clear liquid inside to fall. "I'm only drinking water. My daughters took advantage of yesterday to confiscate all the ale."  
"With good reason." A chorus of voices said dryly from beside the large chair.  
"Nonsense." He snorted. "What pirate doesn't drink?" The voices, which came from the group of nurses who had been setting up his medical equipment, retorted heatedly, counting off the many reasons why their oyaji should NOT drink.  
L watched, amusement hidden expertly.  
Having listened to his daughters' harping for a good five minutes, Whitebeard slammed his tankard down, and declared with a tone of finality that he was a pirate and he'll damn well do as he pleases.  
They didn't bother telling him off after that.  
"You would do to listen to your daughters every once in awhile." L commented, arms crossed across her chest.  
"You would deny an old man his drink?" He raised a brow, shooting an amused glare at the assassin standing a few feet away. She countered him easily.  
"You're not denying you're _old_."  
" _He_ drinks too." The aged captain stated.  
" _He's_ half your age."  
"Hmph. Did you see him yesterday?"  
"No." She shrugged. "I was otherwise occupied."  
"I see."  
Whitebeard stroked his moustache, a familiar glint entering his eyes. If his sons had been paying attention, they would've recognised that look easily. It was that look their captain and father-figure always had whenever he wanted something. Or someone.  
"L." Whitebeard spoke, drawing her attention. "My offer still stands."  
Said assassin went silent at his statement, only responding a few heartbeats later.  
"Sure." She drawled. "An offer that's two decades old."  
"An offer nonetheless."  
"I didn't accept twenty years ago. What makes you think I'll accept now?"  
The captain didn't say anything at this, but his yellow eyes held a gleam that told it all. He was sure that she would accept.  
Suddenly, L had to wonder. Was Whitebeard reading her too easily? She thought, thinking back her meeting with Whitebeard twenty years ago. He had offered her a place in his crew then too, but she had declined, and she never saw the elderly captain again until now.  
"Whitebeard-san, I thank you for the offer." She turned, sensing movement behind her."But I'm afraid I'll have to decline once again."  
"Of course you will." His eyes glinted as he smiled down at the young woman. "But you will keep it in mind, I hope?"  
-=v=-  
From where they stood around Ace, they watched as their father conversed with the assassin, broken out of their stupor when Whitebeard made his offer.  
"There he goes again…" Haruta commented offhandedly as he watched the two. The other commanders nodded in agreement. They knew that look too well. He had worn that exact same expression when he took an interest in a certain fire logia rookie captain.

"Oyaji wants her, doesn't he?" Ace asked, though the way he voiced it told people that it wasn't really a question. "Nee-chan won't accept though."

Izo, skeptic that he was, immediately narrowed his eyes at the younger commander.  
"And why is that?"  
Ace's grinned, shooting the sixteenth commander a look that said ' _I know something you don't_ ', and Izo's hand itched dangerously towards his pistols.  
Ace shrugged, sitting down crossed legged on the deck. "She's nee-chan."  
Rakuyo, who had been absently stroking his weapon Macey, rolled his eyes at his answer. Because that explained so much he might as well have said nothing at all. The other commanders had similar reactions except Marco.

In truth, the only explanation that was ever needed was indeed the one Ace gave. He calls L 'nee-chan' right? That meant they were family, and Ace's family members were all-for lack of a better description-stubborn as hell.  
Marco had long since learned to read between lines and how to figure out deeper meanings behind seemingly simple answers.

In short, 'Queen' L, most dangerous assassin in the world, was as stubborn as a D. bearer. And that meant a lot coming from one of said D.'s.  
Marco wonders how many other things did one Portgas D. Ace deem unnecessary to tell them.  
Who would've thought? Ever since they first heard the name 'Luffy', the thought had never once crossed their minds that Ace would have another sibling other than Monkey D. Luffy, least of all someone who was apparently older than him. And a girl to boot! Not to mention said girl was a world renowned assassin who was said to be scary as hell. But then again, they shouldn't be surprised anymore, should they?

After all, the kid's family was way beyond what one would call 'messed up'.  
Nope, it was completely screwed to the end of the Grand Line.

He already had Monkey D. Garp for a grandfather, the late Pirate King Gol D. Roger for a dad, and the Revolutionary Monkey D. Dragon's son Monkey D. Luffy for a brother. What was one more world's most dangerous assassin Queen L as a sister?  
Honestly, they really wouldn't be surprised if some other big shot turned out to be a long-lost brother or something. (And how right they are, but they don't know that.)  
Wait, maybe he does have a long-lost brother…is that even possible?  
Okay, NO, he is not going to go there. Too much to think about and too much trouble.  
However, everyone else had also come to the same conclusion. As soon as he pushed that thought out of mind, somewhere behind him, a chorus of cheers erupted.  
He didn't even need to look to know what was going on.  
Somehow, when he was distracted, a betting pool had started between the commanders on whether their second commander would have a third sibling.  
Izo, Haruta, Vista and Blenheim betted that he would. The others betted none.  
"Seriously, do you guys have nothing better to do?"  
"Other than watching those two? Nope."  
"Hey Marco, wanna join in?"  
"What're we betting on?"  
"Whether or not Ace has a third sibling." Of course.  
"Hmm…Three hundred belli says yes."  
"You're on!"  
-=v=-  
Law had made himself comfortable on the Moby Dick's wooden railings the moment attention shifted completely to L. Bepo stood next to him as they watched things unfold.  
It had only been a few minutes after the first commander left that one of his targets stormed up onto the deck, demanding to see the assassin.  
He obviously didn't recognise the assassin if the way he spoke to her was any indication. Law half-expected L to assault him, she was after all as the rumours say. Cold and brutal. An emotionless killer.

He didn't, however, expect Firefist to call her 'nee-chan'.  
He _most definitely_ didn't expect it to be actually true.  
No wonder she saved him.  
No wonder she asked him to come, besides the fact that he was coincidentally in the area.  
Stuff made sense all of a sudden.

He watched as she spoke with Firefist, the Phoenix and then Whitebeard.  
She turned, and he met her cold gaze with steely gray eyes.  
"So that's why you wanted me to come." Law raised a brow as L approached him. "Hmm. Partly true, but not all." She stopped a few feet from him. From seemingly out of nowhere, she pulled out a considerable thick file. "These are the information you requested. You know the rules." Law nodded, taking the file. Giving it a quick flip through, he handed it off to Bepo with instructions to store it in his room on the Polar Tang, and after the mink had gone off, he turned to the assassin. "So do you still need me to check on Strawhat-ya? Firefist-ya is obviously fine if he can still wrestle like that." He asked, jabbing a tattooed finger in the general direction of a soon-to-be brawl. L didn't reply, instead, she turned to meet the Whitebeard Captain's strong, knowing gaze. A few seconds later, she broke eye contact, and returned her attention to Law. "You're clear to go. I assume you can find your way?"  
"Hmph. Of course I can." Without another word, he activated his powers and disappeared, presumably to wherever the Strawhat captain was.  
"Well, now that that's over with…"  
She abruptly disappeared. A split second later, Ace had his head caught in a vice-grip, courtesy of his nee-chan, who then proceeded to force him into a kneeling position, much to everyone's confusion. Ace on the other hand, paled as soon as he felt her hand on his head.  
"Don't you have something to tell me, dear little brother of mine?"  
 _Shit._  
 _He was so dead._

"I'm not proud of you, Ace." Standing behind him, L stated her displeasure icily. "I know." He mumbled, suddenly much more aware of his sister's dominating aura and his ship-brothers curious stares. "Did you now?" A pause. "I must say, Ace. I am rather disappointed." Moving in front of him, she leaned down so that they were face to face. And before he knew it, her fingers had latched onto his left ear, twisting it all the way.  
"OWOWOW! Nee-chan! That's my ear!"  
She was even using haki to prevent him from turning into fire.  
"What the hell were you thinking, Ace?" He could hear the anger and worry that she didn't even bother to hide, and the guilt that had been sitting on his chest suddenly seemed to increase tenfold. "Running back to face an admiral just because he insulted your captain? Ace, if that isn't being stupid than I don't know what is." He wanted to retort. It wasn't stupid! It wasn't! He was defending Oyaji's pride. What was wrong with that? But somehow, he couldn't find the courage to speak if reading his thoughts, she spoke again. "Defending his pride? And at what price? Your life?" She sighed. "If I know Whitebeard, he would call you stupid too. Your life is more important than his pride could ever be. He went to war for you, to bail you out of the pit you threw yourself into and damn near gave his life to save yours." Deep breath. "And what do you do? Turn around to face Akainu, all prepared to waste his efforts and throw your life away, just because that mutt couldn't keep his mouth shut."  
He remained silent, unable to make up even the simplest of excuses when the truth was blatantly staring him in the face.  
He had tried to throw his life away.  
And to Akainu, the marines resident mad dog no less.  
He really is stupid.  
He didn't deserve to live.  
A warmth enveloped Ace as clothed arms wrapped themselves around him in an embrace. Pulling her brother close, she held him tight as she allowed the worry to flow out of her.  
"Don't ever think that you don't deserve to live." She whispered. "No matter what, Ace, know that you are worth all we do for you. You deserve to live, just like everyone else."

 _Because you are so much more than they will ever know._  
 _Because you are our precious family._

Ace stills, all of sudden conscious of the looks being directed at them. His family was watching. Slowly, he reached up to return the hug, drawing comfort from his sister's words. Memories of a similar event came to mind and words repeated themselves in his mind.  
 _"Does what others think matter as long as those you love understand?"_  
That was what she had asked him. It was a long time ago, but to Ace, it would always seem like yesterday.

He hadn't answered.

He hadn't understood at the time, still a child who had only seen a small edge of the world.

But now, Ace thinks he understands a little.

Under his father figure's knowing gaze, and the silent encouragement from the crowd he'd come to call his family, he smiled, and hugged his sister closer.

 _Thank you, Nee-chan._

 _For saving me._

Even with her mask in the way, Ace could feel her smile against his shoulders.

 _Idiot._

 _..._

Ace, being Ace, just had to say something stupid just then.

"Hey, Nee-chan."

"Hmm?"

"I'm taller now."

"..."

 _Smack!_

"You're an idiot, you know that?"

"Shut it, birdbrain!"

* * *

Ah...well, i don't know about you, but this chapter might be kind of weird. I don't know, I mean, I've been planning the whole 'Ace gets scolded' scene since I started this story and now that it's out it feels weird...Ace isn't that compliant right? He isn't but he's seen L get angry before, like actually angry and not just simply annoyed like at the start of this chapter...how to put it, it's kind of like how he and Luffy feel towards Garp. They weren't even scared of Sengoku or Akainu or etc, but they're scared of Garp. It's like an instinct that's been ingrained into them: never go against nee-chan when she's angry. That sort of thing.

And L was...well needless to say she was worried to no end. So yeah, that's normal reaction. Even if the whole thing doesn't really fit her assassin's image. Right now, she's in nee-chan mode. Hence the title.

So, anyways….  
I have some questions I would like to ask. You don't have to answer them if you don't want to, but I would be really thankful if you did. The first two questions are based on this story's pairing, and I'm pretty sure you all know who the oc I'm shipping with Marco is already, If not, ah...I don't know? Read the questions?

1) Who should develop feelings first? Marco/L?  
2) Who should confess first? Marco/L?  
3) Should Blackbeard be caught at Marineford, or should he have escaped?  
4) What do you think of the story so far?  
5) What do you think will happen between the Whitebeard Pirates and L? (SPOILER : L will be with them for a week or two, not sure. I won't say why. Give me interaction ideas please.)  
6) Is anyone curious why Whitebeard knows L? And who the he they mentioned is? ;P

And last of all…

Big THANK YOU to all who read this story, reviewed it, followed it, and favourited it. You have no idea how happy I get when I receive notifications from .

And i really hope you'll reply to my questions, I don't care if you criticise me or flame me or whatever, because that means I have a chance to improve.


	7. Chapter 6 : Towards

Many thanks to Angel0940 and sousie for replying to my questions. And also everyone who read, reviewed, followed and favourited.

Here's the next chapter.

Disclaimer : I don't own One Piece and never will.

* * *

 _The heat was suffocating._

 _Footsteps sounded in the dark alleys of a village as a man rushed past, a young girl following closely behind._

 _"Hurry, we have to make it to the cove!"_

 _"But your injuries…"_

 _"There's no time for it now!"_

 _Frowning, the girl obeyed the man's words and continued running, even though she obviously thought otherwise. Looking at him-an arm limply hanging at his side-left a bitter taste in her mouth. As she ran, her thoughts drifted back to the events leading to their current predicament, and she cursed herself for letting that man get the better of them. If only…she shook her head, pushing those thoughts to the back of her mind. She couldn't afford to be distracted now, not when both their lives were on the line. She kept running._

 _Breath coming in short, ragged, pants, the man and girl came to a stop at the edge of a cliff. Checking behind them for signs of their pursuer and finding none, the two quickly jumped down the side to land on a ledge that led all the way down to a small cove hidden between the cliffs._

 _Halfway down, the man stumbled as the blood loss from his wounds caught up to him, and the girl only barely managed to catch him. The movement sent several loose pebbles over the edge, though silent, it was enough to draw unwanted attention._

 _"Down there!" Someone shouted from above them. Immediately, the sound of soled boots pounding into the ground could be heard. The girl felt a chill creep down her back as she comprehended their current situation. They had been found! Looking around, her frown deepened as she saw that they were still a considerable distance above sea level. A relatively high jump, but she could manage. Under normal circumstances, she would, but now…she looked at her companion. He was obviously in no shape to make the jump. Unwilling to leave him behind, she lifted him onto her back as much as she could and started to shuffle along the ledge._

 _She barely avoided the glob of liquid heat as it streaked past her._

 _"Leave me…" The man said, barely conscious._

 _"NO!"_

 _"You should listen to your apprentice, scum."_

 _A foreign voice interrupted, and the girl froze in fear. That voice…she dared not to look back. That voice belonged to their pursuer, the one who had given him his wounds._

 _"Nope, sorry. I'm afraid I only listen to myself."_

 _Her companion responded curtly with a hint of sarcasm. Their pursuer, a man dressed in a marine coat with a hood over his white cap, chuckled._

 _"Is that so?" He took a step forward. "In that case, that will be the end of you!"_

 _He lunged._

 _A hand pushed against the girl, and with exerted force, pushed her off the ledge._

 _As she fell, a magma coated fist plunged through the man's chest. For a moment, she thought she saw someone else._

 _The weightlessness and fear gripped her, and she closed her eyes…_

Startling awake, L took a moment to grasp her surroundings. She was breathing heavily as she wiped away the cold sweat that had broken out. Calming her racing heart, she remembered where she was: a guest room aboard the Moby Dick.

She threw off the covers, swinging her legs over the side of the bed and grabbed the pitcher of water sitting on the nightstand. Pouring herself a glass of the cool liquid, she gulped it down, feeling her dream-hazed mind clear somewhat. Setting the glass down, she turned to look at the bed. It looked inviting, and the pillow was very fluffy, but after her most recent dream, she didn't really feel like going back to sleep so soon.

Not to mention her current location.

 _Maybe I'll get some fresh air._

Slipping a robe over her nightgown, she quietly made her way above deck, slinking across to avoid those on watch. She circled around, finding a spot that was just out of sight of the watch men behind what she knew was the commanders quarters.

L folded her arms on the railing and gazed at the moon, a perfect circle of white framed by the boundless night sky.

 _The moon is beautiful tonight._

She closed her eyes, feeling a warm sea breeze as it caressed her. She has forgotten how nice it was to feel the wind of the sea-a gentle breeze that carried the salty tang of the ocean and which smelled of freedom. As the wind died down, she shifted her gaze so that she was staring down at the water instead. Her thoughts drifted back to her dreams, and she grimaced. She hadn't dreamt of that in a long time. Shifting her position so that her head rested on a hand, she absentmindedly scratched a spot on her cheek which was usually hidden by her mask. Tonight, she'd foregone it when she slipped out of her room. No one would be up to see the face she kept well hidden anyway. Even if someone was up…well, she didn't really care. The Whitebeard's were a rarity of pirates that were actually decent and trustworthy, and above all, they were Ace's crew. The only reason why she hadn't taken it off earlier was because she didn't feel like it.

The Whitebeard Pirates also treated their crewmates as family. By their logic, that would make her and Luffy extended family. She chuckled. Extended family, eh? She wondered, entertaining the thought of having over a thousand relatives. Nah, she decided. Too much trouble. I'll stick with just Ace and Luffy.

Footsteps sounded behind her, and she smiled, her back facing the newcomer.

"Nice night, isn't it? Commander." She greeted as a figure emerged from the doorway behind her.

"It is." He moved to join her at the railing, his blonde hair pale under the moonlight. "Why are you still up?" He asked.

"Can't sleep."

"Same here."

They fell into a comfortable silence, both looking down into the water as if searching for something within the sea foam.

"You're curious." L said suddenly, breaking the silence. "I am. You are a rather intriguing person." The man replied, not even bothering to hide his thoughts. Her face remained impassive. "Am I?"

Marco's gaze remained on the water as he spoke.

"Are you friend or foe?"

"What do you think?" She directed the question back at him.

He grew silent as he pondered over it. If he had to, he would say she was somewhere in between. Neither friend nor foe. A stranger.

"An unknown."

"I suppose that would be true."

"You're not offended?"

L shrugged. "No reason."

Marco hummed thoughtfully. "You're rather different than what I made you out to be. I'd imagined you to be more…antisocial."

"I prefer taciturn."

He smirked.

"You're pretty unusual. For an assassin."

"How so?"

"I'm not sure."

"Say…"

"What?"

"Can we trust you?"

"I don't know."

…

A few hours later, the first rays of the morning sun shone through the clouds, painting the sky and sea and rich orange.

Two doors closed on the Moby Dick.

-=v=-

In the morning, Marco found himself staggering out of bed, barely able to keep his eyes open as he made his way to the galley.

 _Coffee would be good now…_ he thought sleepily. Despite having washed his face with ice cold water earlier, he still felt like falling back into bed, but at the thought of all the work that still needed to be done, he decided that he could sleep after he'd finished.

Didn't mean he didn't feel like ditching it though.

He was simply responsible.

Of course, it was partly his own fault. He had spent a large portion of the previous night talking with L and had turned in sometime before dawn.

But at the very least, his talk with L had been worth every inch of sleep last night.

Stifling a yawn, he entered the large galley, the smell of freshly brewed coffee and breakfast chasing away the sleepiness somewhat. There weren't a lot of people around at this time so it was pretty quiet. Then he saw someone he least expected to show up. Or actually, two someone's. Seated at a table near the kitchens was Ace and his sister, eating breakfast and conversing quietly.

Something was very wrong with this picture.

Why was Ace-the doting older brother Ace who refused to leave his little brother at the mercy of the ship doctor-in the galley?

Shouldn't he be in the infirmary at this time of day? Or actually, shouldn't he be still sleeping?

Marco knew for a fact that the second commander never woke up earlier than nine, and it was only half past seven.

Way too early.

And he was talking **quietly** and eating **slowly**.

"Yo Marco! Late night?" One of the cooks, Michal called out, balancing two large stacks of waffles as he headed to one of the long tables at the end of the room.

"Kind of." He replied, grabbing a tray from a nearby shelf and joined the cook at the table. He looked over the buffet that they had laid out for breakfast, taking a little of everything. "What's up with Ace over there? He's not this quiet normally." Tipping his head in their direction, he asked as he poured maple syrup over a stack of waffles.

"Don't know. He's been like that since Queen dragged him in here about ten minutes ago." Michal shrugged and raised an eyebrow at the abnormally small amount of food on his plate.

"Is that all you're eating? You usually eat more."

Marco grabbed a cup from the stack and filled it with coffee.

"I'm not really hungry now. Besides, I think I need coffee more than breakfast now."

The cook looked over the commander with a critical eye and nodded. "You definitely need it. And probably more than a cup."

"Oi Michal, quit dawdling out there! We're workin' our asses off in 'ere!" Someone yelled from the kitchen.

"That's my cue. See ya later, Commander!"

Stifling another yawn, Marco made his way across the room, tray in hand, and slid in beside Ace.

"Mind if I join you?"

Neither bothered to answer him since he wasn't really asking for permission anyway.

Digging into his breakfast, Marco listened to his ship-brother and his sister as they talked about various things. Unlike last night, her mask was once again in place, though her attire had changed to a more casual one. Instead of the form-fitting black dress, she wore a loose lilac top that was belted at the waist along with long black jeans and white heels. Her long hair was slung in a loose braid over her shoulders while her fringes had been left alone. The mask had also been adjusted to allow her to eat.

She looked pretty even with her mask in the way and Marco would be lying if he didn't find her attractive.

It was more to the contrary.

Pushing his finished tray aside, he turned so that he was facing Ace and L. Immediately, both snapped their mouth shuts. Marco didn't bother pointing it out;he knew that even though Ace was a Whitebeard, the assassin was still wary, despite the fairly easygoing attitude displayed.

"So, what are you planning to do?"

The question had been directed at L.

"For the moment, nothing." She said, fingering the handle of her cup."Though I will be staying a while." She added as an afterthought.

"Really? You're staying?" Ace piped up from where he was continuing to stuff his face. L leaned away from him, shifting to avoid the bits of food that were spewed out of his mouth.

"Swallow before you talk, Ace." She reprimanded."And yes, I'm staying. For the time being at least. I've already told your captain."

Cheeks stuffed in reminiscent of a chipmunk, Ace swallowed, gulping down a glass of water together to help ease the food down.

"Sorry." He said sheepishly.

Marco laughed a little at the sibling's interaction before carrying on with the conversation.

"That so?"

"I don't intend on lodging for free, if that's what you're asking."

A bag appeared in front of him, containing a large amount of ten thousand berry notes, all neatly tied in wads.

"That amount should cover most expenses."

"We don't…" He tried to argue, but she immediately cut him off, telling him to take it since they would be needing the extra funds in the foreseeable future. Not wanting to argue with her, he did a quick estimate of the amount and felt his eyes widen. At the same time, L who had been sitting opposite him, tipped her head back and drained the remainder of her drink in one go. "Well it's been nice talking to you Commander, but I have things to do so I'll be leaving now." Picking up her own tray, she turned to Ace." You coming?"

Ace nodded and quickly gathered up his many trays, following his sister to deposit them at the kitchen counter. They quickly disappeared out the door, just in time to avoid the crowd of pirates who flooded into the galley.

Suddenly alone, Marco wondered briefly if L had foreseen this.

He decided she probably had, and proceeded to look down at the bag of berry notes.

What the hell was he supposed to do with this much money?

-=v=-

Whitebeard had been reclining in bed reading when someone knocked on his door.

"Come in." He said, closing the book and placing it on the nightstand. At this hour of day, he figured it would probably be one of his commanders-most likely Marco-who had came. When the door opened and his son stepped in, the captain wasn't surprised to see that it was indeed Marco. The blonde looked perplexed in contrast to his usual calmness, and the reason behind it was more than enough to spike Whitebeard's interest.

"Is something wrong, son?" He asked.

Marco fell into a nearby chair and sighed.

"Not really…Ace's sister mentioned she told you she'd be staying a while?"

"She did."

"Well…" He pulled the bag out and set it on the nightstand. "She gave me this earlier. Said she wasn't going to stay for free."

"If she wants to I don't see what the problem is then?" The captain replied questioningly.

"The problem is…" He reached to open the bag."…there's about fifty million in here."

Whitebeard glanced at the bag of money."And…" He was starting to see what the problem was.

"I'm not sure what to do with it."

The elder man chuckled, reaching for his book.

"Leave it as it is then. I'm sure you'll find something to do with it."

"I guess that'll do. Thanks, Oyaji."

"Anytime, my son."

As Marco exited the door, Whitebeard started to read again. Though he was looking at the pages, he mind was however on the unexpected guest of his ship.

 _And she said she wasn't breaking them._

He thought back to last night, when the young woman had requested to remain on board his ship for an uncertain period of time.

He was curious if his sons would survive the assassin's stay, however long it would be.

He was kind of looking forward to it.

-=v=-

After leaving the galley, Ace had quickly made his way to the infirmary with his sister in tow, knowing full well her dislike of crowds. While she may not show it, he knew that she was still uncomfortable. He could relate to her however, since he himself had trouble with crowds despite the constant exposure due to certain personal experiences. Like her, he rarely showed it and he doubted many of the crew knew. On the way, they chatted about various things, catching up on the few years which they hadn't seen each other. Ace was laughing so hard at something his sister had said that he failed to notice someone exiting the infirmary, and the end result had both sprawled on the floor.

"Owowow…who the-Ace?"

"Haruta?" Ace immediately recognised the brown haired commander.

"Wha-did you just come out from the infirmary?"

"Well duh."

Haruta rolled his eyes at the question, dusting his pants as he got to his feet. "Some of my division were injured during the war so I was checking up on them." He explained.

"Speaking of which," The twelfth commander glanced at L who was standing a few steps away before returning to Ace."Why are you outside the infirmary?"

"Why do you sound like I have to be in the infirmary all the time?"

"Because Strawhat's inside and you have a serious case of brother complex?"

"What?! I do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

L, long forgotten in the heat of the two commander's bickering, stepped past them and entered the infirmary, leaving them to continue their childish bout. Closing the door behind her, she took a quick look around the large space, quickly locating the head doctor as the petite woman exited one of the connecting rooms, yelling over her shoulders as she slammed the door shut. The doctor stormed over to her desk in one corner of the room and dropped the clipboard in her hand with a loud 'bang' before noticing the masked assassin next to the door.

"Queen?" She sounded surprise. That moment, every head in the vicinity turned.

"Doctor-san." Expertly ignoring the various looks of shock, curiosity and many other emotions, L greeted with a slight nod. "Any changes today?"

With a smirk on her face, Windry led her to one of the rooms. Taking a clipboard from the foot of the bed, she gave it to the assassin to read. While she wouldn't normally allow people to read stuff like that, 'Queen' was an exception. Even though she wasn't a professional medic, she had a considerable amount of medical knowledge. And since she could understand it, Windry figured it would be easier to just let her read the patient records herself.

"He's sleeping." The assassin stated, her eyes still on the records.

The doctor knew what she was talking about.

"That's right." She moved to stand next to the bed, stroking the soft black locks on the sleeping boy's head."He heals fast. Just like his brother."

"They both have it after all."

"That they do."

Their eyes met, and an understanding sparked between them.

Just as they were about to speak, the door burst open, completely ruining the moment.

Brows furrowed in annoyance, Windry turned to yell at whoever decided to barge in like that and was greeted with the sight of both Ace and Haruta breathing heavily, a mad grin plastered on their faces.

"What the hell?!" She shrieked, demanding to know what they were up to. Ace ignored her, turning to his sister.

"Hey, nee-chan. Haruta wants to ask you something." He said, gesturing at the brunette next to him. He took that as his cue and spoke, the grin never leaving his face.

"Ace's sister, you use a sword, right?"

She nodded.

Haruta's grin grew wider, if possible.

"Great! Let's spar!"

* * *

Bonus Scene

Time: 7.20 am

Location: Moby Dick, Infirmary

Slipping quietly through the infirmary, L opened the door to Luffy's current room and peeked inside. It was still early, so Ace was still asleep by Luffy's bed. Entering the room, she quickly moved next to Ace, extending a hand to shake him.

"Hmm...wha? Nee-chan? Wha're ya doin' 'ere so early…?" Ace muttered sleepily as he was woken up.

"Ace. Time for breakfast." She whispered into his ear."

"Huh…?"

"Come eat breakfast with me."

"'m not hungry...zz…"

Growl.

"Ace. Wake up."

"Don't wanna…OWOWOWOWOW!"

"You, little brother, are coming with me for breakfast."

The fire user was fully awake now.

"What?! Why?!"

"Your first commander told me some things yesterday…"

"Marco did?"

"Yes. For example, how you weren't eating right."

"So you're going to eat breakfast with me now. No objections."

"But-what about Luffy?"

"He'll be fine."

"You don't know that!"

"You don't know that I don't."

"Huh?!"

"Be quiet unless you want to wake everyone."

L countered every complaint easily as she dragged him out.

Ace was busy complaining and didn't notice until they were standing inside the galley and the smell of breakfast filled his nose.

Hence why the cooks of the Moby Dick saw him being dragged in.

As he ate breakfast, Ace stabbed at his sausage with a vicious streak as he cursed Marco for telling on him.

Damn you Featherbrain, I'm so gonna get you back for this…

* * *

Seriously, I have no idea why I named this chapter what I named it...Any suggestions?

Anyways, Thanks for reading!


	8. Chapter 7 : Strength

I can't believe I got a new chapter out in only a week since I updated! This is like, a total new for me, though that might be because I've finished my exams. Million cheers! Goodbye forever to Sejarah and Moral Studies! Hope I never have to see you again!

Anyways, go ahead and read. Don't mind me.

Disclaimer : Don't own One Piece and never will.

* * *

"No."

"Eh?! Why not?!" Haruta cried, his grin falling immediately.

"Because." L replied with her arms crossed. Across from her, the twelfth commander started whining, trying to get her to agree despite her refusals.

She stood firm.

After several dozen more attempts, Haruta dropped to the floor, out of breath and shot a glare at the woman opposite him. Damn it, he really wanted to fight her…

Next to him, Ace smirked at his crew mate, an 'i told you so' plastered on his freckled face. He turned his glare onto the fire user who didn't even flinch. No one said it to his face, but Haruta's glare was famous on the ship for being completely useless-at least, to his crew-and him sitting on the floor wasn't helping any.

"Ah…don't be too disappointed, Haruta. That's just how Nee-chan is." He said, crouching down to clap his friend on the back in an effort to cheer him up. It didn't work though. If anything, instead of cheering him up, it had the complete opposite effect as Haruta started to pout.

"I really wanted to fight her…" He muttered. Sighing, Ace looked at his sister who had been talking with Windry. The two women were speaking in soft tones and he couldn't hear them clearly. "Hey, Nee-chan…" He called, not caring that he was probably interrupting. "Why won't you spar with Haruta?" He was pretty sure he knew what her answer would be, but still… At the question, Haruta looked up too, clearly wanting to know her reasons. Faced with two pair of eyes that were intent on staring at her until she gave them what they wanted, L relented. She was too lazy to bother resisting, not that it would make much difference anyway. They were both stubborn as hell-even Haruta, who she'd only met.

"Why should I?"

Silence.

Ace and Haruta exchanged a look before simultaneously falling to the ground in a kneel.

That's right…why would she when she had no reason to…

To the side, Windry chuckled at cast a glance at the only other woman in the room.

"You really are breaking them aren't you?" She stated, looking at the meager states of the commanders. Of course, L denied doing such a thing.

"Sure, whatever you say. But you know…a spar wouldn't hurt anyone, would it?"

The doctor had a feeling that her new friend-yes, friend, she liked the assassin very much and already considers her a friend-was frowning beneath the mask.

A few minutes later…

"Fine. We'll spar."

"REALLY?!"

"On one condition."

"What?"

"Tell me Ace's embarrassing stories."

"Deal!"

Ace idly wondered whether he should kill Haruta for selling him out in exchange for a spar.

Maybe he will…provided a certain someone didn't beat him up too badly first.

It might guilt trip him if that were the case.

-=v=-

"Oi, did you guys hear? Apparently Haruta asked 'Queen' L to spar with him!"

"For real?!Oh man, this we gotta see!"

The news of an spar between the famed assassin and one of their commanders quickly spread throughout the Moby Dick, becoming the hottest topic of the day. News even reached the ears of the Okama Queen's group who had spent the most of yesterday recuperating inside. Since they hadn't been present-and no one remembered to notify them-they were unaware of the assassin's presence on the ship. When they heard from some passing pirates, they were shocked. Some more so than others.

"Vhat? Queen-chan is on the Moby Dick? And she's Ace-boy's sister?"

Ivankov slid down the wall of the cabin where he had been indented as he cried in shock.

"Eh, that's right…" The pirates stood in the door, all sweat dropping at the Okama Queen's stunt.

Inazuma, wine glass in hand, strode over.

"It would seem so, Iva-sama. And you mentioned a spar?"

"Eh. Commander Haruta asked her earlier for a spar, and she agreed. They'll be having it later in the afternoon."

"This is too much for vme to take in…"Ivankov got up and started to sway."Vi'm gonna…faint…vi'm gonna…"

"Vi'm gonna be just fine!"

No one laughed. Frozen in his pose, Ivankov started to sweat. He'd forgotten he was on Whitebeard's ship! His candies weren't here!

"Iva-sama. Should we meet with Queen?"

In his mind, he thanked Inazuma for his timely interruption as he cleared his throat, pretending as if the awkward moment before never existed.

"Vwe should. Vwe haven't seen vher in a vhile after all."

"We'll I'm not." A gruff voice grunted from the corner of the room. Ivankov turned, a wide smirk on his overly large face.

"What's wrong, Croco-boy? Scared Queen-chan will beat vyou up for hurting Strawhat-boy in Arabasta?" He taunted.

Crocodile flinched slightly. The Okama Queen had hit a nerve. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but he was indeed scared of said assassin. But not for the reason Ivankov thought.

"Mind your own business, Emporio Ivankov." He snapped.

"If it weren't for you I wouldn't be on the old man's ship!"

"So vyou don't want to watch Queen-chan fight? What a waste~"

"Shut up!"

"Vi'll make sure to tell Queen-chan vyou said hello."

"IVANKOV!"

"Hey…why are they even on our ship in the first place?"

"Dunno…Marco said they followed Strawhat on board. These guys are just a few of them. I heard the rest of the okama's are terrorizing the Moby Two."

"…we really should be grateful, shouldn't we?"

-=v=-

Afternoon came on sooner than expected.

As soon as both Haruta and L stepped onto deck, pirates from every corner of the ship had dropped whatever they'd been doing and rushed outside. Whitebeard sat in his chair at the bow, grinning as he watched his sons and daughters gathering above deck. They rarely did, not even during parties. There were simply too many people for them to all fit comfortably. But they seemed to consider this spar to be a lot more important than being comfortable, for whatever reasons. Beside him, his nurses huddled together, whispering in hushed voices about something or another. They were probably making bets, he assumed. Rarely did one of the spars on board involve a female, so he guessed that his daughters were simply ecstatic to have someone who wasn't male to bet on. It was safe to say that almost all of the women placed their bets on L.

From the other end of the ship where the infirmary was, his head doctor sauntered over, hands stuffed into the pockets of her white coat. "Girls, are we betting?" She asked, smirking at her medical staff. The women, having worked with her for a long time knew what she was immediately. Paige held out a box that was filled with money for her to see. She smiled wickedly. "We're betting against the boys. The odds are one to one."

Windry raised her brows skeptically.

"Only fifty percent? A little low, don't you think?"

She shrugged."The boys are convinced that Haruta can at least tie with her."

"Neither wins this way, eh? What do you think, Oyaji?"

Whitebeard, who had been watching them with a knowing smile broke into a large grin.

"1000 berries on Ace's sister."

"1000 berries on my sister."

Two voices spoke simultaneously.

Windry deadpanned.

"Did you two have some sort of secret agreement we don't know about?"

Whitebeard and Ace grinned at each other. They didn't really have any agreements per se, it was just pure coincidence…not that anyone would believe them.

Discerning the hidden meaning behind their large grins, the doctor rolled her eyes. "Fine. Don't tell then." She yelled over her shoulder at her staff. "Paige! Oyaji and Ace each bet 1000 berries on Queen. Give'em the slip!"

Shortly after that, the match began.

L and Haruta both stood on opposite sides of the ship facing each other. The brunette commander had already slipped into a fighting stance, his sword at the ready. In contrast, L stood relaxedly without her sword in sight. Was she going to fight bare handed?

"Where's your sword?" Haruta asked, a slight frown forming on his face.

Though he couldn't see it, he had a feeling his opponent was smirking.

"You'll see." She replied, evading the question completely."Just attack."

"If you say so…" He rushed forward at the speed of sound, his sword coming down in a downward slash. For some reason or another, he wasn't the least worried that he would hurt the assassin so he never restrained the power behind the slash.

No one knew what happened afterwards. Just when it looked like his sword was about to cut her, the sound of metal against metal filled their ear. Blinking, he saw that his sword had been blocked by another sword that was barely out of its sheath. Instinctively, he pushed back, landing a few metres away. Just in time to avoid the wide arc that nearly slashed him across the middle.

"You have quick reflexes." He heard the assassin say. "But not quick enough."

Before he could even register what had been said, his legs were swept out from underneath him. He quickly flipped himself over, moving his sword to parry an attack that may or may not have ran him through.

 _Shit_. He thought. _She's fast._

To untrained eyes, the spar would seem like a blur of lilac and green. But to those who could keep up with their speed, they could clearly see that the female assassin had the upperhand. While Haruta was one of the fastest on the ship, L was even faster, not even giving the commander a chance to breathe. She pushed him hard, her attacks quick and sharp, forcing him to focus on defending himself instead of trying to look for an opening to attack. A minor slip of attention on Haruta's part however soon brought the match to an end. Distracted by his brothers cheering, L managed to force the sword out of his hands and in that split second, he found himself weaponless and on the floor, a sword aimed at his throat at point-blank range.

"I win." The assassin stated.

Vista, the fifth division commander blew a whistle, signalling the end of the match. Being a fellow swordsman, he had been asked to referee the match, which in his opinion, had proven to be totally worth the time.

"'Queen' wins!" He announced. A round of applause sounded across the ship, and loud cheers were heard from the group of women who were gathered next to Whitebeard, who by the way was high-fiving his youngest son.

"Time to pay up, boys." Windry grinned, her hand held open in front of her. Grumbling, the men gave up their cash sourly, muttering curses at Ace for being a traitor. Ace laughed and replied with an answer that had most of the men glaring at him. "She's Nee-chan. Of course she'd win."

"You have so much faith in me, little brother." A voice said next to him. Turning around, Ace greeted his sister as she approached, her sword tapping lightly against her shoulder. "How much did you bet?"

"1000 berries." The fire-user replied happily, not even bothering to ask how she knew that he had bet on her when he had never told her. He had long since become used to his sister knowing things she should and shouldn't know. Honestly, he wouldn't be surprised if she even knew what color underwear Garp had on today…though he didn't think he wanted to know. Behind her, he could see Vista and Haruta making their way towards them, both sporting large grins. Haruta especially was completely ecstatic, even though he had been defeated. Vista on the other hand, wasn't as hyper, but anyone could tell that the man's interest had been piqued.

"That sword is a meitō, isn't it?" He asked, motioning to the sword that she was carrying.

"It is. This is one of the 21 Great Grade Swords - Rinhe Zakura." Unsheathing the sword, she handed it to Vista to allow the man a closer inspection.

"An Ōkatana…you take very good care of it, don't you?" He handed it back.

Sliding it into its scabbard, L spoke, the smile evident in her voice.

"Zakura is a very good sword."

"Indeed it is."

At that exact moment, the ship tilted. We say tilted, but actually, it was more of a steep slant due to the ocean suddenly splitting. Not expecting the sudden shift in gravity, L lost her footing and fell backwards, slamming into Marco who had been headed their way and sending the both of them over the railing. Everyone else was too busy trying to stay on board themselves, so they could only watch as the two were swallowed by the waves.

"Marco! L!"

"Queen-chan!"

"Commander!"

"Nee-chan!"

Namur, the only fishman commander, jumped in immediately, leaving his brothers to cling onto any handhold for dear life while he rescued Marco and L. Moments later, the sea righted itself, and as soon as they could, all the pirates ran over to the side of the ship anxiously. Whitebeard remained in his seat, golden eyes narrowed as he waited for his son to surface with the other two.

"They're over there!"

"Quick! Someone go help him!"

A sudden commotion at the railings alerted the elderly captain to the situation, and he let out a relieved sigh.

"Give them some space, brats." He commanded to his sons and daughters who still crowded the area by the railings. Immediately they retreated, leaving enough space for Haruta-who had went to help Namur-to place the unconscious assassin on the ground. He was soon followed by Namur who did the same for Marco. Windry and her nurses snapped into action in an instant, resuscitating the two. L woke first, coughing up water before she noticed where she was. Her eyes snapped opened in alert, and everyone then noticed something different about the assassin.

Her mask was gone.

Drenched, her hair and clothes clung to her, accentuating her curvaceous, hourglass figure. And that wasn't even what they were focused her mask, her face was in full view for the first time since she boarded the ship the previous day. Black hair framed heart-shaped face where a single violet eye reflected the sunlight while the other was hidden behind a curtain of black. Slightly thin eyebrows arched gently, and a button-nose wrinkled in reaction to her emotions. Lips that would have been rosy appeared pale due to her dip in the cold sea-water. Her features combined with her fair skin, gave of an air of youth that made her look younger that they had expected.

"What are you looking at?" L asked, slightly irritated from both her fall in the sea and the pirates' incessant staring.

"Uh..nee-chan…" Ace pointed to his face, prompting his sister to reach up, only to find the familiar smoothness of her mask gone.

"Ah...it must have fallen off." She realized as the men started to recover. At the same time, Marco woke too, coughing so hard as if he was trying to hack his lungs out.

"What the…?" He asked, still coughing. Taking in his surroundings and the state of his clothes, he came to a conclusion. " I fell in?"

The crew fell silent instantly.

"What?" He asked, confused.

A voice next to him spoke up.

"That was sort of my fault actually."

"Huh?"

"I crashed into you."

Turning, the first commander came face to face with a woman-who in his opinion, had beauty that rivaled the Pirate Empress-whom he didn't recognise.

"You're...L?" Besides his sisters, there was only one other woman on board he could think of who he wouldn't recognise at first glance.

"Where's your mask?"

L rolled her eyes at the question.

"It fell off." Obviously.

"Oh." He replied lamely.

A chuckle from the side drew their attention, effectively breaking the awkwardness that had settled in. All eyes shifted to one crossdressing commander who stood next to their father, arms crossed and smiling brightly.

"A good thing it did, wouldn't you say?" Izou said. "Otherwise we might never have seen that beautiful face you were hiding."

L tsked, getting up from the floor. At her feet, a puddle had formed from the water that dripped off of her.

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" She muttered as Ace handed her a towel to dry off.

"Probably." Izou replied, the smile never leaving his face. Though a few seconds later, he was gaping like a fish at the display before him. "What the hell are you doing?!"

In plain sight, the assassin threw her belt in a heap at her feet and started to pull her wet top over her head.

"Ace stop her!"

"Why?"

"What do you mean WHY? She's…"

Izou trailed off as the top came off completely, revealing a black sports tank underneath.

"I'm not an exhibitionist, sixteenth commander." L commented dryly, wringing the lilac top to remove excess water.

Unable to retort. Izou turned on Ace. "You knew?!"

"Of course I did." Ace shrugged, a shit-eating grin plastered on his face. "You all thought she was only wearing bras, didn't you?"

At this, a huge portion of the pirates blushed, giving away that they had indeed thought that. Marco and Izou included. Behind them, exasperated sighs could be heard from the nurses.

"Men."

"Men." Ace echoed, receiving loud sounds of protest from his fellow pirates.

"Ace." L called, extending a handful of wet fabric towards her brother. He caught on immediately, taking the cloth into his hands. Spreading it out, he sent his fire out in small wisps, drying the top.

"You know, I could've just dried you off." It would've saved his crew a whole lot of embarrassment if she had instead of outright stripping.

"Ah well…I was getting hot in it." She replied nonchalantly. The crew fell into silence once again, this time because of her straightforward answer and the notion that she didn't care. Seconds later, guffawing was heard. In his chair, Whitebeard nearly choked on his drink as he laughed.

"You really take after him don't you lass?"

* * *

PLEASE READ THIS A/N BEFORE YOU LEAVE.

Well there you have it : Chapter 7. Kind of sloppy but don't mind it. This will probably be the last new chapter until next year since I plan to rewrite the previous chapters. There are a lot of plot holes and some parts feel a bit weird when I go back to read it so I might tweak a few things here and there. This includes the adding and removing of certain characters, so Law may or may not be removed. Not to mention I tend to forget things that I wrote in previous chapters, so yeah, I'm gonna revise it and rewrite a lot of it.(PS: Should I post the rewritten version as a separate story?)

On top of that, my family is moving next month and my mom hopes we can settle in completely before the new school year starts so I'll be really busy since our stuff is like only 5 percent packed.

And before i forget, is anyone here a beta that's accepting beta requests? I don't know about you guys, but personally i think i need one. You all see how well the story turned out… so any beta's out there, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REPLY! I want help with rewriting! FYI, I need someone who can beta everything that's not spelling and grammar. I've tried looking myself, but so far none have replied. Please reply in a review or just PM me if you're interested.

And a question for you too: Should I put in other pairings like LuNa, or ZoRo? Review if you want me to put them in.

And also, I'm not asking for reviews or anything really, but you know, a little more would be nice. And very much appreciated.

Anyways, thanks for reading and supporting 'L'!


	9. Chapter 8 : Untitled

So…yeah. This isn't really a chapter, but it's the last day of 2016, so I thought I'd write a little something as a New Year gift of sorts. I don't know about you guys, but school will be starting in a few days for me, and believe me, I am not really looking forward to it. Besides homework and stuff, it will be my last year of highschool-meaning I'm in senior year now!-which means exams in 10 months and graduation in 11. While I am looking forward to graduation, I am not looking forward to separating with my girlfriends who have been with me since middle school.

But that's not important now. Anyways,

 **Happy 2017 and best wishes to everyone out there!**

This is just a little something I wrote in under an hour so I had an excuse to wish you guys all a happy new year. Honestly I had no idea what I was writing so bear with me please.

Also, I'm happy to say I have finished rewriting the first chapter! I included a few previews of it, they're mostly dialogues, see if you can guess who's talking with who. :) In my opinion, it came out pretty well, but I'm still waiting for feedback from my beta. I've made some changes (or actually a lot) because when I first wrote this some parts weren't exactly definite and I kept changing things. But I sorted the details out before I started writing so no need to worry. But just a warning, what I have planned is pretty different from what I have written so far, but it's still the same for the most part. I will be posting it as a different story and will post a notice here for those who are following this one.

So ciao, happy reading! I'm on my way for a performance now. Wish me luck!

* * *

The day passed quickly, fortunately uneventful as the crew was still recovering.

As the sun slowly dropped below the horizon, L found herself seated on one of the sails, much like how she first appeared to the crew, thinking about her brothers

It had only been her second day on the large ship, but she could already see the relations that Ace had built for himself with the crew. While she didn't show it, she was relieved, to say the least. Despite the reassurances from her and Luffy, Ace still had a low self esteem, a trait that never seemed to leave. But now that he had found such a good crew and an even better captain, hopefully some of the burden he had been carrying since young would be lifted. If not, well, she was pretty sure that Whitebeard would not stand for it. Ace was in good hands.

Now if only Luffy would wake up.

She had been rather occupied with work as of late, and such hadn't had time to visit their youngest on their home island, and to be honest, she really missed the teen and his too sunny grin. As an assassin, she had seen her fair share of what their world was really like, and more than often it invoked more cynical thoughts. At those times, Luffy was like the sun, making her think that maybe their world wasn't completely lost to the darkness. Although she could do without his recklessness…seriously, she'd lost coum of how many times she had wanted to just go to his ship and strangle the life out of him. The kid just had no sense of self-preservation! Then again, that might have been partially her fault, Ace did always complain that she spoiled their youngest.

The wind was pleasantly cool, blowing from behind her and plastering stray strands to her face. Tucking a particularly long strand behind her ear, her senses picked up the sound of footsteps as they approached the mast.

"L." The first commander called from below. "Aren't you coming to dinner?"

 _Dinner?_ Only then did she realize that some time when she was lost in thought, the pirates had all but disappeared into the bowels of the ship. She looked down, violet meeting blue and for a second, she felt herself drawn to those eyes that were startlingly bright in the dark. Pulling away, the assassin lept down the mast with all the grace of a cat and strode in the direction of the galley. "Sorry, I didn't notice." She muttered as she passed Marco, trying her best not to look at him. On the outside, she maintained her facade of calmness, but inside, she was freaking out a little. She had no idea what happened when their eyes met, just that she suddenly had an urge to avoid any form of contact with the blonde commander.

She heard the man move to follow her, and unconsciously increased her pace so that she was always a few feet ahead of him. They walked to the galley in such awkward silence. If he had noticed anything, he didn't say, and she was glad for that.

As they approached the door, Marco stepped up, an arm held in front of her. Curious, she stopped in her tracks, watching as he opened the door and immediately backhanded a piece of pie that had been flying straight for the door. It would have hit the assassin right in the face, if it wasn't for the first commander who had expected something to come flying and was already prepared to deflect.

"Oi you idiots! We have guests!" He barked, temporarily halting the food fight that had apparently ensued in what little time he had been gone. Everyone turned to look at the pair standing in the doorway, each with some kind of food grasped in their hands.

"Oh, you're back. Hi Ace's sister." Haruta, whom L had sparred with earlier in the day, had one foot planted on the table and a large pile of whipped cream in one hand, his other holding onto someone's shirt. Apparently the brunette commander had been about to smash that unholy amount of frothy cream into someone's face.

"Commander Haruta." L greeted politely, unfazed by the chaos on display. She had seen plenty of similar scenes.

"Uh…sorry about the mess. We were kind of—" "—having a food fight?" "Yes?" It was pretty obvious. The large space was splattered with different kinds of food across any surface available, including the ceiling.

"Seriously, I leave for five minutes and you guys turn this place into a warzone." Beside her, Marco face palmed, completely exasperated with his brothers. They were grown men for heaven's sake! Couldn't they act more mature? Not to mention they had…guests…

"Hee haw! Vi haven't had a food fight in ages!"

"Marco-san, I apologise for the disruption by Iva-sama."

"Oi! Quit tossing sauce at me you oversized okama!"

"Vhat was that, Croco-boy?!"

"You know what? I give up."

L looked at the blonde commander who was hunched over in defeat and laughed, just loud enough that he heard her. Blue eyes stared up at the woman in front of him as she turned, a small flash of gold showing through her fringes and his eyes widened a little.

"It's no wonder Ace joined you." She said, her lips curved into a small smile.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing."

 _They really are like family._

* * *

Preview 1

As she slipped the last piece of parchment into the file, a small voice called to her.

 _Nee-chan...don't go…_

She crossed the small space between them, kneeling down to press her lips against a dreaming child's forehead and whispered promises to stay by them.

 _Sweet dreams, meus irmáns._

 _May you always be safe._

* * *

Preview 2

"Ne, how long are you going to leave him up there?"

Somewhere on the island of Marineford, two cloaked figures chatted idly as they watched the Marine Fleet Admiral easily disclose a secret that had been kept safe from the world for twenty years. From their vantage point, they had a clear view of the soon-to-be battlefield. An advantageous position which unfortunately, came at the price of not being able to see the expressions of the one that was to be executed shortly. They did, however, have a full view of his back and subsequently, his tattoo of his crew-family. Rich, slightly dark purple ink mapped out the design, forming a symbol that was marred by his time in prison.

"Until his crew comes to get him, obviously."

"And when will that be?"

"What makes you think I would know?"

"I don't know...maybe the fact that you always seem to know everything?"

"That's not true and you know it."

"So...?"

"Probably sometime in the next half-hour."

"See? You do know."

"Shut up."

"Yes Ma'am."

They watched as silence fell at the revelation of Portgas D. Ace's bloodline. One of the figures crouched down on the edge, while the other turned and walked away.

"Where're you going?"

A flash of metal was seen underneath the figure's cloak, and realization dawned immediately on the other.

"I'll be back soon. Feel free to join the party when they start."

"Roger. Have fun!"

…

"And~she's gone. And all that's left is for them to show up. Great. More waiting."

* * *

Preview 3

"You don't plan to leave this place alive, do you?" It wasn't really a question, though it sounded like one.

"Who are you, brat?" The older man retorted, his gaze fixed on the war.

He shrugged. "Just an ally."

Yellow eyes averted themselves, and he heard the captain snort.

"I'm a relic of the sea, brat. I've lived long enough."

"That may be so, but I have orders. Very explicit orders."

"Oh?"

"I'm not allowed to let you die here."

"And what makes you think you can prevent that?"

"I don't know. Perhaps the threat on my life if I actually let you die in such a worthless place?"

"…cheeky brat."

"I aim to please."

* * *

Tell me what you think, yeah? :)


	10. Notice

Hi everyone, sorry I haven't been up in a while. Been busy with school and stuff…

Anyways, I've just posted the first chapter of the rewrite for L. It's published under the name "Be My Songbird". It's basically the same as L but it's rather different due to changes that I've made. Well, that's what I think.

But whatever. Just read and tell me what you think. XD

Btw, thank you all who have reviewed, faved, and followed this story. Hope you'll like the rewritten version.


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